When the Terrapin gymnastics team heads to Chapel Hill, N.C., for a dual meet against EAGL rival North Carolina tomorrow, it knows it'll be in for a fair fight.
"We're extremely evenly matched," coach Brett Nelligan said. "Every time we go against them, it could go either way."
The two squads split their meets against each other last season, with each team winning on the road by less than two-thirds of a point.
And with the teams looking almost identical on paper this year, the matchup promises to be just as competitive.
The Terps are in fourth place in the eight-team EAGL, while the Tar Heels lurk right behind in fifth. In even the national rankings, the No. 33 Terps have only the slightest edge on No. 35 North Carolina.
The play of the teams' top performers could likely determine tomorrow's outcome. North Carolina's Morgan Evans leads the EAGL in the all-around, while Terp senior Abigail Adams ranks third. Evans, last week's EAGL Gymnast of the Week, boasts three straight all-around titles.
"I don't really focus on individual matchups," Adams said. "I'm just going to go in confident and focused for my team."
For the Terps, the trip to North Carolina will be their second straight road contest. The team placed third last Saturday in a quad meet at No. 9 Michigan.
"Even though we didn't win the Michigan meet, it really boosted our confidence," Nelligan said. "We're heading into Chapel Hill knowing we can compete against the nation's best."
TERP NOTE: Sophomore Ally Krikorian, who suffered a foot injury before the Terps' Jan. 21 home meet against Ball State and Towson, will sit out at least another week before she is ready to compete in all-around. She plans to compete on bars and floor this weekend.
letourneau@umdbk.com
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