Everyone could feel the excitement building all week.  We started the week off with a light practice on Sunday and had Monday off so our bodies would be feeling good coming into the meet.  Our last two practices before the meet we trained with the idea of "No Mercy" towards our opponents. 

Tuesday, we had bars and floor team events and you could tell everyone was practicing with the intent to win.  We hit routine after routine in the gym.  Wednesday's team events followed along with the same intensity and by the end of practice we were ready to take on NC State.

Thursday afternoon we loaded up the bus and started our five hour drive to North Carolina.  The energy on the bus was incredible as the freshmen learned all about our travel meets and we picked some movies to watch.  When we arrived in North Carolina, we had a great team dinner in Casa Carbone and then headed back to the hotel to get some rest. 

Friday morning we all woke up and got some breakfast and lunch at Panera and got ready for the meet.  On our bus ride to the arena, we had the unveiling of this year's intro video to get us pumped up.... And believe me folks, you do not want to miss it at our first home meet!!! When we entered the arena we all knew it was about to be a great meet. 

We had tons of family in the stands: my parents, the Dodds', Giameo's, Black's, Zimmerman's and Heller's were all there to support us! We love you guys!  By the time warm ups were over we were SO eager to compete. 

We started on bars where we ran into a little trouble, but I had no doubt that this team could fight its way out and that is exactly what we did.  We moved onto vault where we dominated. Shout out to Katy Dodds who posted a career and program-high 9.975!!! We continued onto floor where we nailed five more gorgeous routines, and finished up on beam where we went six for six to end the meet. 

It was an all-out battle to the finish, but we ended with a record breaking season opener of 195 to tie the Wolfpack.  If that meet was any indication of how the season is going to look for the Terps, I cannot wait to see what is in store. We are all ready to get back into the gym and prepare for our next meet at Pitt. Make sure you don't miss our home opener on Jan. 26! SEE YOU THERE! GO TERPS!