The No. 32 Illini (3-2, 1-1) are headed to University Park, Pennsylvania, to face off against the No. 24 Nittany Lions (6-2, 1-1) on Friday. Illinois hits the road fresh off a loss to No. 8 UCLA (5-2, 2-0). Penn State is coming off a win at home against Rutgers (9-2, 1-1).
Rankings
While rankings do not tell the whole story, they provide insight into the potential strengths of the team. The fight between Illinois and Penn State shows a slight advantage to Penn State. Penn State’s No. 24 spot on the bars is leaps ahead of Illinois’ No. 32 spot.
Last week, Penn State graduate student Gabbie Gallentine scored a 9.900 on the uneven bars, which rivaled senior Makayla Green’s career-high of 9.900 earlier this season. With athletes on both teams capable of high scoring, the entire lineup must contribute to take the event title.
The Nittany Lions also have a slight advantage on the floor, ranking 12 spots ahead of the Illini at No. 22. Neither team is strong on the beam, falling at No. 47 and No. 32 for Illinois and Penn State, respectively. However, the Illini’s No. 22 mark in the vault is 10 spots higher than the Nittany Lions. Maximizing effort on the vault and bar events should be keys for the Illini in this matchup.
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Even if the Illini as a group were not at their best against the Bruins, there were standout individual moments. Freshman Chloe Cho once again broke her career highs in uneven bars (9.850), vault (9.875) and the beam (9.925). Her near-perfect beam score even earned her the beam title. Sophomore Mareli Muller’s performance on the vault earned her a new career-high of 9.800.
This early success from the young Illini highlights a good balance among their roster. The combination of the eagerness from the underclassmen with the veteran expertise of upperclassmen could go a long way, especially in a match where either team could end victorious.
Happy Valley for Illinois
Illinois’ performance on the road might not be its strongest, but State College might be its “Happy Valley.” Last season, the Illini saw three wins at State College. In the 2024 Big Five meet, Illinois came out victorious over three Big Ten teams, including Penn State.
With Friday’s meet back at University Park for the Women’s Empowerment Meet, Illinois aims to continue playing well in Happy Valley. The meet will start at 5 p.m. and stream on Big Ten Plus.
