Nebraska Heads to Ann Arbor to Take on No. 8 Michigan

Nebraska Cornhuskers (1-4, 1-3 Big Ten) vs. No. 8 Michigan Wolverines (2-0, 1-0 Big Ten)
Monday, Feb. 15, 2:00 p.m. CT -- Ann Arbor, Mich. (Crisler Center)
Live Scores: MGoBlue.com
Television: BTN

Lincoln, Neb. -- The Nebraska women's gymnastics team heads to Ann Arbor, Mich. for a matchup with the No. 8 Michigan Wolverines. The Huskers look to bounce back with a statement win against the defending Big Ten regular season champions.

The Huskers last took on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on Feb. 7 at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. While NU made significant strides on the balance beam, Rutgers strung together solid performances in the final rotation to win the Big Ten duel. 

Senior Kynsee Roby posted a career-high on beam with a score of 9.95, while sophomore Kathryn Thaler tied her career-high on the apparatus with a 9.90. Freshman Kinsey Davis recorded her season-high on uneven bars with a score of 9.875, which won her the event title.

Michigan comes off a two week pause in competition for its third meet of the season. The Wolverines enter this meet with a 2-0 record and a 1-0 conference mark. Michigan's last competition was on Jan. 22 in a victory over Minnesota at the Crisler Center.

Roby and Davis have emerged as two of NU's most impressive athletes through the first four weeks of competition. Roby has won three balance beam titles through four meets this season, while Davis continues to develop into a force for the Huskers in three events, vault, bars and beam.

NU takes on Michigan at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, Mich. on Monday, Feb. 15 at 2 p.m. The meet will be televised on BTN.

Following the Huskers' meet against Michigan, Nebraska takes on Iowa at home on Saturday, Feb 20. The meet will start at 7 p.m. and will be streamed on BTN+.

Fans can follow the Huskers on Twitter at @HuskersWGym, Instagram at @HuskersWGymnastics and Facebook at facebook.com/NebraskaWGym.

Notes:

SCOUTING MICHIGAN
Michigan enters Monday's meet with a record of 2-0 with a 1-0 Big Ten Conference record. The Wolverines last faced off with then-No. 4 Minnesota at home and picked up the win by a score of 195.850-195.000. The Wolverines are led by junior Natalie Wojcik, who leads the nation in the all-around with an average score of 39.587.

NEBRASKA ENTERS WEEK FOUR RANKED NO. 36
The Huskers enter this meet at Michigan State as the No. 33 program in the country, according to the Road To Nationals rankings. NU looks to climb the rankings with a solid performance in Ann Arbor.

ROBY RANKED NO. 19 ON BALANCE BEAM
Senior Kynsee Roby, following stellar beam performances in the first four weeks of competition, ranks 19th in the nation on the apparatus. Roby won at least a share of the event title in three of Nebraska's first four meets, which included a score of 9.95 last week against Rutgers. 

YOUTH SHINES FOR NU EARLY IN SEASON
Nebraska's freshmen have provided crucial depth for the Huskers through the first four weeks of the season. The Huskers will rely on them to continue their development against Michigan. Chloe Lorange took home the all-around title against the Fighting Illini, while Kinsey Davis picked up her first event title against Rutgers. Danielle Press has provided crucial depth for NU in three meets so far this season.

NU RANKED THIRD IN BIG TEN PRESEASON POLL
The Huskers enter the 2021 season as the No. 3 ranked team in the Big Ten Preseason Coaches' Poll. Michigan and Minnesota claimed the top two spots in the poll, while Iowa and Illinois round out the top five. 

BIG TEN SCHEDULE IN 2021
The Big Ten Conference announced that its members will participate in a conference-only regular season. Week one of the season for Nebraska will serve as a non-conference meet against Big Ten foe Illinois. Weeks 2-7 will serve as the Big Ten regular season, with the Big Ten regular season champion being crowned at the Big Five meet. Weeks eight and nine include non-conference meets against Big Ten opponents. 

ROBY, DAVIS NAMED GYMNASTS TO WATCH
The conference announced that senior Kynsee Roby and freshman Kinsey Davis were selected as Nebraska's Big Ten Women's Gymnasts to Watch for the 2021 season. 

UP NEXT
The Huskers return home to the Bob Devaney Sports Center for a matchup with Iowa on Feb. 20 at 7 p.m. The meet will be streamed on BTN+.

ROSTER OUTLOOK
The Huskers welcome back three seniors for the 2021 season. Makayla Curtis, Anika Dujakovich and Kynsee Roby will serve as veteran leaders for the program. The lone junior on the Huskers' squad is newcomer Kaitlyn Higgins, who started her career at Minnesota and will add depth for NU on beam and floor.

Nebraska's sophomore class consists of Clara Colombo, Kathryn Thaler and Kylie Piringer. Piringer looks to build upon the strong foundation she set during her freshman campaign after being named a second team All-Big Ten selection following the 2020 season. Head coach Heather Brink also welcomes six freshmen, Martina Comin, Kinsey Davis, Joanne De Jesus-Cortes, Chloé Lorange, Danielle Press and Caroline Williams.

HUSKERS INTRODUCE FIVE 2021 SIGNEES
Head Coach Heather Brink announced the signing of five future Husker gymnasts joining the 2021 women's gymnastics signing class. Ayzhia Hall (Fayetteville, AR), Emma Simpton (Dallas, Texas), Halle Rourke (Waverly, Neb.), Savanah Warren (Parker, CO) and Emma Spence (Cambridge, Ontario) will join NU's program for the 2021-22 season. 

CORNHUSKERS REPRESENT ACROSS UNITED STATES AND BEYOND
Nebraska features gymnasts from six states:  Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, North Carolina, New Jersey and Texas. The Huskers also feature three international gymnasts, Clara Colombo and Martina Comin of Italy and Chloé Lorange of Canada.