AUBURN, Ala. – Julianne Huff and Marissa Neal floored the judges, each scoring career-high 9.95s in the final event to lead No. 17 Auburn to a 196.975 Friday at Neville Arena.
No. 11 Michigan State earned bragging rights for the Big Ten by scoring a season-high 197.7 to secure the win.
“I’m glad they put together a meet like that. I really like the fact that they’re starting to become a better team,” Auburn coach Jeff Graba said. “Really settled down when we went to beam and then they let it go on floor. It’s good that we’re getting closer to what we see in practice.”
Opening on vault, Neal stuck her landing on a Yurchenko 1.5 to lead the Tigers with a 9.925. Paige Zancan and Huff each scored 9.825s, Mia Leverton earned a 9.8 and Olivia Greaves led off with a 9.7.
The visiting Spartans grabbed an early lead on bars with a pair of 9.9s and Nikki Smith’s 9.925 to take a 49.325-49.075 lead after the first rotation.
Moving to bars for the second rotation, Huff, Emma Grace Boyd and Alex Irvine paced the Tigers with a trio of 9.85s. Greaves added a 9.8 and Katelyn Jong scored 9.775 to give Auburn a 49.125 in the event.
The Spartans added to their lead by closing their vault lineup with consecutive 9.975s after a 9.95, a 9.9 and a leadoff 9.825 to total 49.625.
On beam in the third rotation, Huff led Auburn with a 9.9, helping the Tigers earn 49.250. Olivia Ahern opened up with a 9.875, while Irvine and Neal closed out the lineup with 9.85s. Senior Hannah Hagle contributed a 9.825.
Michigan State’s MaKayla Tucker and Smith anchored floor with 9.925s to help the Spartans score 49.4 in the third rotation.
Finishing on floor after Huff’s pep talk, the junior from Hoover, Alabama, led by example, capping an evening of excellence by scoring a 9.95 to equal her career-best all-around score of 39.525.
“Floor’s really fun at Neville, so it was a great time. We needed more energy,” Huff said. “Floor is easy to pick up, so I knew we could do it. There’s more in the tank for me. I kept trying to build each rotation, so that’s what I did.”
Minutes later, Neal matched her teammate’s score, earning a 10 from one judge.
“That’s a huge deal,” Graba said of Huff and Neal’s all-around showings. “Marissa and Julianne, really good tonight. Those seven routines really set the tone tonight.”
Ahern added a 9.9, Bryn Bartman scored a 9.85 and Greaves anchored with a 9.825 to give Auburn 49.475 on floor, its highest score of the meet.
“We’ve had our troubles on floor,” Graba said. “They’ve never lost their confidence on floor. It shows. We set floor up with a really good beam rotation. That’s an amazing team thing. We’ve got to tap into that confidence elsewhere.”
Michigan State’s Smith (39.725) and Tucker (39.625) finished first and second in all-around.
It’s a two-meet weekend for the Tigers, who travel north to Huntsville, Alabama, for the Elevate the Stage quad meet featuring No. 6 Georgia, No. 14 Clemson and Pitt Sunday at 3 p.m. CT on ACC Network from the Von Braun Center.
Auburn returns to Neville Arena next Friday to conclude the regular season with a 7 p.m. CT meet against No. 7 Missouri streaming on SEC Network+.
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on X: @jeff_shearer