AUBURN, Ala. – Earning a 10 on beam from one judge, Cassie Stevens won the all-around to lead No. 14 Auburn to a decisive 197.725-197.050 rivalry win over No. 7 Alabama Friday at sold-out Neville Arena.
When the judge's assistant held up the 10.0, teammates mobbed Stevens, who scored a career-high 9.975 in a flawless routine that included her eponymous skill.
"It was crazy. I wasn't really expecting it," Stevens said. "I have been working a lot on the little details. To be able to put together a solid performance for my team is really rewarding."
Stevens won her third consecutive all-around, scoring a career-high 39.7 on the strength of 9.9s on bars and floor, a 9.925 on vault and the 9.975 on beam.
"Leadership. The position she's in shows other people how to compete," Auburn coach Jeff Graba said. "I can't say enough about her performance. A 39.7 is an amazing score. I'm proud; she should be proud of how she's brought people up around her as well as herself. Just amazing."
Auburn tied its program record on vault and scored season highs on beam and floor. The Tigers scored 9.8s or better on 23 of 24 routines, including their first 14.
The margin of victory is the largest over Alabama in program history and the 197.725 was the highest score in a win against the Crimson Tide.
"That was fun," Graba said. "We challenged them to embrace the environment because we were pretty sure the Auburn crowd was going to show up. Sometimes that can increase the pressure, but they handled it extremely well and this is probably our cleanest meet of the year. It shows what we're capable of. It's not a fluke when we win now (vs. Alabama)."
Auburn started strong, going 6-for-6 on vault, where its lowest scores were a trio of 9.875s. Olivia Hollingsworth scored a career-high 9.9 in the third spot in the lineup, followed by freshman Julianne Huff's 9.925. Stevens anchored with a 9.925, fighting successfully to stick her landing.
"I'm really proud of our team," Stevens said. "Our focus was on momentum, starting strong and being able to build. I'm so proud of the way we fought through the beginning of the season. We love the Bama rivalry. It's a little extra hyped so those wins are a little bit extra."
Auburn's 49.5 vault score tied the program record and gave the Tigers a sizable lead after one rotation with Alabama scoring 49.175 on bars.
Stevens' and Hollingsworth's huge nights continued on bars, the latter tying her career high with a 9.9 the second lineup position. Stevens anchored with another stuck landing, earning a 9.9.
Anchoring on bars for the second consecutive meet after debuting last week, Olivia Greaves scored a 9.825 while Brusch, Groth and McLaughlin each scored 9.8s.
Alabama tallied a pair of 9.95s on vault and scored a 49.45 to narrow Auburn's lead to a tenth, 98.725-98.625, after two rotations.
Leading off on beam, freshman Paige Zancan dazzled with a career-best 9.9. Brusch followed with a 9.85 before Groth earned a 9.9 to set the stage of Stevens' stunning 9.975. McLaughlin anchored with a 9.85 to help the Tigers' total a season-best 49.475 and take a .225 lead into the final rotation.
"Paige did a fantastic job of taking the leadoff position and setting the bar really high. She's a rock," Graba said. "The first two people up really set the tone. We've still got more on beam. The confidence level they're going to take from this is pretty big."
While Alabama struggled on beam, Auburn flourished on floor. After Brusch opened with a 9.875, Hannah Hagle, Groth, McLaughlin and Stevens followed with four straight 9.9s, a career-best for the former.
Hollingsworth anchored with a 9.925 to share the event title, giving Auburn 49.525 on floor.
"I thought it was the most incredible thing ever," Hagle said of Auburn's floor scores. "Toward the end, we were living in the moment. That's all we could ask for, having the time of our lives."
Auburn will look to build on its season-best score next Friday at No. 3 LSU at 8 p.m. CT on SEC Network.
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer
Stevens wins all-around; No. 14 Auburn routs No. 7 Alabama 197.725-197.050
