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For the first time in a month, the Washington gymnastics team is leaving the 206 area code. But for the second time in three weeks, they are competing against one of the nation’s top-five teams.

The Huskies face off against No. 3 Utah tonight in a dual-meet in Salt Lake City, Utah, just two weeks after falling to No. 5 Oklahoma in Seattle, Wash., by a score of 196.175 to 195.100.

Don’t try and tell the UW gymnasts that the result will be the same.

“If anything, our confidence has gone up [since facing Oklahoma],” senior Sam Walior said.

Walior also talked about how the team’s nerves affected their performance against the Sooners — and how those nerves may be alleviated this week.

“We were so excited because we knew we could compete with them,” she said. “I know that when we actually went to the meet, we got a little uptight, and so we made some mistakes that we don’t normally make. … I think it helped us because we got that out of the way. We need to focus on what we are doing and not worrying about who we are going against.”

Walior’s performance in this past Friday’s meet at SPU was key in the Huskies scoring a 195.800, their highest total of the season to date. The team’s lowest total of the season came the last time they truly went on the road at the season-opening Pac-10 Showcase in Los Angeles.

“I don’t think it is fair for us to say, ‘Let’s get better than we did last week,’” head coach Joanne Bowers said. “[But] can we do better than we did at UCLA? I sure hope so; I think so. That is kind of what we are going for, rather than talking about wins and losses, because that will take care of itself.”

Junior Amanda Cline will miss performing on bars for the second consecutive week due to a finger laceration. This week, she will be replaced by sophomore Kylie Sharp, a Utah native preparing for her first homecoming as a UW gymnast.

“We are really excited to put her in,” Bowers said. “I can’t wait to see the look on her face when we read the lineups.”

Utah has pleasant memories for Walior and fellow senior Kristen Linton, both of whom qualified for nationals on floor at the regional tournament in Salt Lake City this past year. Walior hopes that the pair’s success can carry over to this year.

“The judges at Utah have shown that if we do good routines,” she said, “they are willing to show good scores.”

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