Della's Inside the MatchUp For March 14th!

14 Mar Della’s Inside the MatchUp For March 14th!

Posted at 13:08h in 2025 NCAA Headquarters, News & Features by Della Fowler 0 Comments

By Della Fowler

Editorial Contributor

Introducing Della Fowler’s Inside the Matchup

Each week, Della will size up the competition and key matchups dominating Women’s NCAA Gymnastics in this all-new feature. Look for it each week on InsideGym.com and in a weekly video on YouTube! Here’s who we’re watching during Week 11!

Inside The Matchup, brought to you by Della Fowler & Inside Gymnastics Magazine

Meet Of The Week: UCLA at Utah 9:00 p.m. ET | Saturday, March 15 | FOX

I USED TO PRAY FOR MEETS LIKE THIS, it’s UCLA @ Utah in primetime! Football fans have OSU vs Michigan, hockey fans have the battle of Alberta, but gymnastics the best rivalry is out west. UCLA is going to be looking to get their first win over Utah since 2019 with a super-stacked squad. That Girl Jordan Chiles posted a trio of 9.95s last week and I’m still thinking of Chae Campbell bringing back her freshman floor routine for senior night. Although we won’t get ‘the Chae’ this week, I can almost guarantee you that Chae will slay. The Bruins are really strong on beam and floor, so if they can get an early jump on bars and vault, that’ll be key.

However, the Red Rocks are very strong! Utah should be coming into this meet with confidence, they’re in the comfort of their home arena and they’re members of the 198 club whereas UCLA has not yet been able to break that mark. Grace McCallum on beam (or rather any event) is poetry in motion, last week she scored a 9.95 on beam and I so badly want her to get a 10 on senior night in Huntsman. Avery Neff has never been more back, returning to the all-around last week and I am so excited for her to experience this rivalry. Makenna Smith has also been cooking with grease lately, winning the all-around in last week’s meet against Washington with a 39.6000!

The key to this meet will be both teams matching pace. UCLA is really strong on floor, so Utah will need their stars like Jaylene Gilstrap to put up big numbers. Both teams’ lowest scoring event is vault, so that will also be a key event to keep your eye on Saturday. Let me know who you think will take the win Saturday and who you think the MVP will be!

Must Watch Meets

Kentucky at Florida | Friday, March 14 |7:00 p.m. | SECN+
Oklahoma at Georgia | Friday, March 14 |7:00 p.m. | SECN+
LSU at Auburn | Friday, March 14 | 8:00 p.m. ET | SECN+
Missouri at Arkansas | Friday, March 14 | 8:00 p.m. ET | SECN+
Denver at Stanford | Friday, March 14 | 9:00 p.m. ET | ACCNX

Kentucky at Florida | Friday, March 14 |7:00 p.m.

Wowwie I suppose the Gators heard me talking about how much stronger they are at home and said ‘hold my bev’. Last week they posted a 198.025 at Alabama which is no easy task. Leanne Wong continues to be the CEO of sticks with a near-perfect 9.975 on vault, 9.95 on beam and a 9.925 on floor. Special shoutout to Sophomores Skylar Draser and Alyssa Arana who started and anchored the lineup by equaling their collegiate bests. The 1-2 combo of a strong leadoff and a strong anchor is really crucial, especially as we wrap up the regular season.

Kentucky had a great meet last week getting a big home win over Arkansas. I am feeling thankful, grateful and blessed to live in a world where Creslyn Brose has a 10 and I am so excited to see how she helps the cats in this upcoming meet. Kentucky did a great job of posting event winning scores in every event and if you’re wondering yes they did sweep all the titles last week. Now that they have the confidence of these huge scores, I’m ready to see them settle in and cement themselves as more than just another SEC school. This Florida meet will be a huge test, but with the leadership of Skylar Killough-Wilhelm and Isabella Magnelli, I wholeheartedly believe they can go deep this postseason.

Oklahoma at Georgia | Friday, March 14 |7:00 p.m.

Alright y’all, the Sooners are rolling into Athens like a freight train, and I know the Gymdawgs are ready to throw down. Oklahoma has thrown three 198s this season and it looks like they’re going to keep it up. Last week, they hit a 198.425 against Denver, proving once again that precision and power are kinda their thing. I’m fully convinced that come meet day Faith Torrez enters with the mindset of “Just another day, another 9.950 on vault” with how well she’s doing this season. I’m not a betting girl, but if I ever needed a lock on a bet, I’m picking Audrey Davis to score a 9.9 or better on bars! This team is SO strong and will be hard to slow down.

Now let’s talk about the Gymdawgs. Georgia has been building, and while they’ve had some ups and downs, they’re ready to put on a show at home. Ja’Free Scott is making the beam her runway, her triple series could end world hunger with how much it eats. They’re going to have a lot of fire in their bellies with the tight race to the SEC championship so don’t look at this meet as an easy win for Oklahoma. Lily Smith delivered a 9.975 on floor while the entire PMAC was losing their minds over Aleah Finnegan’s perfect 10. The fact that these Gymdawgs can put up big scores in environments like that, shows me that they can deliver the same-if not better- performance in front of the home crowd.

Haleigh Bryant - Lousiana State University

LSU at Auburn | Friday, March 14 | 8:00 p.m. ET

I hope my FBI agent isn’t alarmed at how many times I watched Haleigh Bryant’s floor routine because it’s just TOO good! LSU is starting to take off and every week gets a little closer to Oklahoma’s NQS crown. The thing we really need to talk about though is that beam rotation, it’s usually a great day at the office when you’re dropping 9.85s. Kailin Chio posted a monster all-around score of 39.8000 and the Tigers are flexing just how good their chances are to go back-to-back.

Gabby McLaughlin enthusiasts please stand up because WOW her beam routine last week was both stunning and clutch. Last week the Tigers needed to reach a 197+ on the road and they delivered! The fight in this team is one of the best in the country and I wouldn’t count them out. They are hungry for a spot at the SEC Championships, and a strong performance at home against a tough opponent is the perfect way to get them ready for the postseason.

Missouri at Arkansas |Friday, March 14 | 8:00 p.m. ET

If you couldn’t tell that I am freaking out about who’s going to make the SEC Championship, here’s yet another matchup I’m watching closely. The vibes are so good with the Mizzou Tigers right now, they hit a program record 198.100 at home on senior night last week and Amari Celestine set a new career high All-Around score of 39.650! They also marked their first season in program history to go undefeated at home. They’ll hit the road trying to keep those vibes high.

Despite a huge effort, it looks like Arkansas might be on the outside looking in at SEC Championships, however, their season is anything but over. This team has a lot of room to grow, posting a huge 197.725 last week on the road at Kentucky. It’s so frustrating because this team has already defeated two of the best teams in the COUNTRY (also the SEC but y’all know what I’m talking about). Joscelyn Roberson broke the Arkansas freshman all-around record last week and I don’t see her slowing down anytime soon. If I’m Arkansas, I have my eyes set on some revenge at regionals. Expect to see the ‘prove em wrong’ attitude on full display this week and in the weeks to come.

Denver at Stanford | Friday, March 14 | 9:00 p.m. ET

Denver has been a sleeper this season, but they are extremely strong and seasoned in the little details. They’ve put up NQS-rising performances in back to back weeks. Something fun I found researching too, is that their bars NQS right now sits as the 6th highest NQS in DU history. I love Bella Mabanta’s gymnastics so much, she posted a 9.925 on floor last week and I see her as a crucial part of this team. Vault is consistently their lowest scoring event so if they can clean up the landings I think they could finish the season on a high note with an upset!

That will be up to the Stanford Cardinal though, this team is going to be pumped to be back home after a road trip to UCLA. Senior Brenna Neault posted a 9.95 on beam last week and I am not emotionally prepared for her last routine in Burham. Watch out for their beam squad, they posted a 49.500 last week and continue to shine on this event. I really want to see them bring the energy as we wrap up the regular season!

Team Rankings Week 10

Look for Nate’s NCAA Notes each week and stay tuned to InsideGym.com and Inside Gymnastics magazine for spotlight features and interviews throughout the 2025 season!

Nate Salsman, Della Fowler, Megan Roth and Christy Sandmaier provide NCAA coverage for Inside Gymnastics.

Photos by Lloyd Smith for Inside Gymnastics magazine.