It was the fourth straight victory and second consecutive at home for the Sacramento State gymnastics team, but it was not quite as convincing as the last time the Falcons and Hornets met on Jan. 22 (194.425-188.425).

The Hornets beat the Seattle Pacific University Falcons for the second time this season by a score of 194.300-193.050 to improve their record to 6-2.

Sac State started strong with a team score of 48.850 on vault, taking the lead over Seattle Pacific, who turned in an even 48.000 on bars in the first rotation.

However, the team struggled with three falls on the uneven bars, allowing the Falcons to get back in the meet with a score of 48.375 on vault to tie the meet at 96.375 overall.

“The fact that we can make those mistakes and still score above 194.000 shows how talented we are as a team,” said head coach Randy Solorio. “But we are going to have to be better [going forward].”

The team recovered from its mistakes with a solid third rotation on beam, scoring 48.850 to regain the lead and a meet-clinching 49.075 in the floor exercises to finish off Seattle Pacific, who turned in their strongest team performance of the season.

The Hornets were led by sophomore Lauren Rice, who finished first all-around with a score of 39.225, and first place finishes on vault, bars and beam.

“I thought I did pretty well,” Rice said. “I made some mistakes but nobody’s perfect.”

Solorio was very pleased with Rice’s performance and infectious energy.

“She had an excellent meet,” Solorio said. “Her energy, personality and talent are great for the team.”

Rice’s outstanding performance included a career high 9.850 on beam.

Senior Cassie Benning also had a strong meet, including a tie for a first place finish with teammate, senior Jesse Williams in the floor routine to finish off the victory for the Hornets.

“It felt great,” Benning said. “It’s always fun to compete in front of our home crowd. The energy they provide really helps us.”

Although the Hornets had problems with falls for the second meet in a row, there were some impressive individual performances to help them capture the meet.

Senior Kalliah McCartney finished third in all-around with a score of 38.600, including the top three finishes on the floor, beam and vault.

Sophomore Jennifer Brenner scored a career-high of 9.775 for her floor exercise, earning her a top five finish in the event. Freshman Courtney Ng scored a career-high of 9.775 on bars to finish second in the discipline.

Sac State will hit the road for their next meet in Utah against Southern Utah and Brigham Young University on Friday, Feb. 12 at 6 p.m.