The Big Ten is noted for its rivalries, and one of the better ones will be played out in East Lansing, Mich., when No. 27 Illinois goes up against No. 25 Michigan State in a dual women’s gymnastics meet on Saturday.

The Illini are coming off a tough road loss against Missouri and are in the midst of a three-week road trip.

“It’s always hard when you’re going on the road; you’re not sleeping in your own bed,” said senior Lauren Newcomb. “You’re not in your normal routine, you’re eating out, there is wear and tear on your body – but you do what you can to prepare yourself and be ready.”

Michigan State (12-4) has had an impressive run this year, with all of its losses coming against top-20 teams, and are coming off a second-place finish in a quad meet in which they were only bested by Michigan. The Spartans will be looking forward to their first home meet since Jan. 30.

“Conference meets add more pressure to perform well, and you want to show the other teams in the [Big Ten] that you’re viable for a Big Ten championship,” said head coach Bob Starkell. “Michigan State has had an extremely solid first half of the season, and it’s going to be a challenge to beat them at their own place.”

The Illini (8-4) are looking to improve on the vault, which cost them in the meet against Missouri and continues to be a weak point for the team. Last week, Michelle McGrady’s return from a broken foot did not provide the expected boost for the team on vault, but not having the pressure of competing in her first college meet and having more time for her foot to heal should improve her performance the next time around.

The team’s score was hurt with falls against Missouri, and they’re looking to prevent those from occurring at this time of the season.

“First, we look if [falls] have been a reoccurring thing and that hasn’t been a factor for us,” Starkell said. “The two falls that happened last week were with us trying to do something new on vault, and we probably weren’t ready for it at that time. We made the decision that to beat Missouri we would have to put our strongest vault line up. [Last week] was a good learning tool for us to use this weekend, where we should have a better opportunity for success.”

Look for the Illini to give Newcomb rest from the all-around competition this week to help her recover from a nagging knee injury. Newcomb, who has won four all-around titles this season, should be replaced by senior Ashley Williams, who competed in the all-around at last year’s national championships. Newcomb should be available for vault and beam.

“We want to work [Newcomb] in a way that she can progress and feel better by the time March comes around,” Starkell said. “That will be a key time for her, and this will also give the other all-arounders an opportunity to make sure they’re hitting at their best level.”

The women are hoping for a victory that will stop their recent winless streak and improve their Big Ten record (0-2) with this second to last meet against a Big Ten opponent.

Sophomore Cara Pomeroy looks to continue her strong season and build on a 9.900 score on bars last week against Missouri, which earned her second-place for the event. Williams also looks to build on a solid season, after she placed fourth last week on vault with a score of 9.625.

“It’s very difficult to go and beat somebody on their home court,” Starkell said. “If we can do the same job we did last week on three events and not make a mistake on vault, we’ll have a good chance. This meet will be a tight one. It will be won or lost by tenths and not a big swing in points one way or the other.”