OPENING PASS

• The Sacramento State gymnastics team will return to The Nest to host a four-team meet on Friday, Jan. 23, at 6:30 p.m. The meet will be the team's annual Tied Together night where the Hornets will wear their tie-dyed leotards  to help promote unity and inclusion.
• Most recently, Sacramento State suffered a loss at Oregon State (196.375-193.675) last Friday in Corvallis, Ore. The Hornets were led by third-place finishes from Rylin Zimmerman on vault and McKenna Carnesi on bars.  
• A live stream will be available for subscribers via Overnght.com and live stats will also be provided. Links can be found on hornetsports.com.

OPPONENT PREVIEW

• UC Davis dropped to 0-3 on the season with a home dual loss to San Jose State on Sunday. Amelia Moneymaker finished in first place on bars (9.825), beam (9.850) and in the all-around (39.225). The Aggies are averaging 193.550 in their two meets and are ranked 50th. The all-time series between the two teams is tied, 62-62.
• Western Michigan heads into this week's match with a 1-2 overall record. The Broncos opened the year with a home win over Wilberforce and then placed third in a three-team meet at Ball State which included Rutgers. WMU is averaging 194.050 in its two meets and is ranked 47th. In the most recent meet, Reese Samuelson matched her career high with a 9.875 to place second on bars. This week will be the fourth all-time meeting between the programs but the first in Sacramento. The Hornets have won all three neutral site matchups claiming wins in Santa Barbara, Calif. (1999), Mount Pleasant, Mich. (2000) and Denton, Texas (2017).
• Wisconsin-Whitewater is 1-1 on the season and owns an average of 191.525 to rank 63rd nationally. The Warhawks opened the year with a loss at UW-Oshkosh and won at Simpson College last Saturday. Paige Magel finished in first place on bars and Juliette Rider took the top spot on floor. This will be the first meeting between the Hornets at UW-Whitewater in school history.

A LOOK AT THE LAST MEET

• McKenna Carnesi placed third on bars and Rylin Zimmerman tied for third on vault for the highest overall finishes by a Sacramento State gymnast last Friday night at Oregon State. The 34th-ranked Beavers posted their best score of the young season on the way to a 196.375-193.675 victory over the Hornets.
• Sacramento State started the meet on bars and totaled 48.500 while OSU posted a 48.850 on vault during the same rotation. The Hornets' five counting scores rose from the start to the back of the lineup. The order was completed by a 9.800 from Kara Houghton, who tied for fourth, and a 9.825 from Carnesi to take sole possession of third.
• Oregon State was able to gain further separation in the second rotation as the Beavers scored 49.050 on bars and the Hornets 48.375 on vault. Sacramento State's total included four scores between 9.700 and 9.750 led by Zimmerman who tied for third place overall.
• The team's highest event total of the night came on floor where it received a 48.950 but still lost ground to a 49.125 on beam from OSU. Athena Jones and Houghton scored 9.825 to tie for third fifth place while Sarah Lutrel was eighth with a 9.800.
• Sacramento State traveled to beam for the final rotation but counted a fall, resulting in a team score of 47.850. The high scores in the lineup came from Kaela Copeland and Kaitlyn Driessen who received 9.700s to tie for sixth.

FLIPPING THE SCRIPT

• While the final scores for the Hornets in the first two meets are not that far apart, the way the team got to that number differed widely. Sacramento State totaled 193.925 in the season opener against Alaska-Anchorage and was led by a team beam score of 48.900. The lowest team score in the four events came on bars (48.275).
• Last week at Oregon State, the Hornets finished with a total of 193.675 and were paced by a 48.950 on floor. The team's next highest event score was on bars (48.500) while the lowest came on beam (47.850). Sacramento State was extremely consistent on floor with all five counting scores ranging between 9.725 and 9.825. 

CONSISTENCY IS KEY

• Kara Houghton opened the year with a 9.825 on floor and matched that score last week at OSU. Houghton's average in the event is easily the best on the team and places her second in the MPSF behind Southern Utah's Berlin Hall (9.842). Last year, Houghton set her season best with a 9.825 in a tri-meet against Cornell and Alaska. The last time she surpassed the score came on Feb. 23, 2024 when she set her career best with a 9.900.

FITTING RIGHT IN

• When McKenna Carnesi arrived at Sacramento State prior to last season, the expectations were the Washington transfer would make an immediate impact on vault. In her one year with the Huskies, Carnesi highlighted her season with a 9.800 on the event. However, a foot injury has prevented Carnesi from competing on the event as a Hornet and led to a transition to bars where she had never competed in a collegiate meet until this season. Carnesi began the year with a 9.650 and then led the team with a 9.825 last week to finish alone in third place.

NEWS & NOTES

• Fifteen Hornets have competed in the lineup or performed exhibitions through the first two meets.
• The 2026 roster features gymnasts from six states comprised of nine from California, four from Colorado, two from Arizona and one each from Florida, Illinois and Washington.