DeKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University gymnastics team bounced back from a sub-par outing two days ago at Illinois State to post its fifth-highest score all-time to defeat the Redbirds Sunday in the NIU Convocation Center. 
 
The Huskies' team scores on uneven parallel bars, balance beam and floor exercise all ranked in the school's Top 10 marks all-time, leading to the overall total of 195.950, giving NIU two of its top five team scores all-time in its last three meets.
 
"Today we were more like ourselves," said NIU head coach Sam Morreale. "Friday night we actually had a good day, but at this level we can't count falls. I'm proud of their fight, their grit, they weren't happy with Friday, and they came back and were able to prove what kind of team we are."
 
Despite strong efforts on bars and balance beam, NIU trailed the Redbirds by .325 after the first three events before outscoring ISU by nearly a point on the final event to earn the 195.950-195.250 victory. The Huskies did not count a score lower than 9.825 on floor exercise with Tara Kofmehl and Alana Anderson tying for first on the event with 9.875 marks, Morgan Hooper and Emmalise Nock scoring 9.850 and senior Gabby Welch earning a career best 9.825.   
 
"Being at home, ending on floor is something we look forward to," Morreale said. "I think that group can carry us. I had confidence going to floor that we could come up with the win, no matter what [ISU] did on beam."   
 
Sophomore Alyssa Al-Ashari earned the highest score of the meet for NIU with a career high 9.925 to win balance beam. The score is tied for the third highest in NIU history and the highest since Katherine Prentice scored 9.925 on March 17, 2018.  Al-Ashari is just the seventh Huskie to go 9.925 or higher on balance beam. Al-Ashari's beam closed out a series of five straight "hits" for NIU, including a career-best 9.900 by Morgan Hooper, after a fall by the Huskies' lead off gymnast.
 
"The beam squad did a great job," Morreale said. "A fall on leadoff puts a little pressure on the rest of the group and everyone came through. We always say warm-ups don't matter, one fall doesn't matter, last meet doesn't matter and it's nice to see the team take that to heart."
 
Huskies finished in the top three places on bars, led by Brookelyn Sears, who tied her career high on the event for the second time in three days with a 9.875. Natalie Hamp scored a 9.850 to take second and Al-Ashari and Liana Roman tied for third with 9.800s.
 
Morreale credited the score and the win to a total team effort. 
 
"We get that spark from a lot of different places," Morreale said. "You've got veterans like Brookelyn, Tara, Morgan and Natalie and the anchors across the board were excellent.  Morgan went 39 in the all-around for the first time this year, Liana [Roman] is settling into the leadoff spot on bars, Alyssa [Al-Ashari] was great on both of her events. The more people we can get to shine, there will be more days like this."
 
NIU (8-4) returns to action next Sunday at 4 p.m. as they take on Central Michigan, Western Michigan and Iowa State in the NIU Convocation Center as part of the "Beauty and the Beast" meet with NIU wrestling. 
 
-- NIU --