The Washington gymnastics team continues on its competition streak against top-25 teams; the Dawgs take on No.15 Arizona State Friday night in Bank of America Arena. The Sun Devils will be the fourth team in a row that the Huskies have competed against that is ranked in the top 25. After falling to No. 2 Utah last week, the Huskies will be eager for a win this weekend.

“Arizona State is a respectable team,” coach Joanne Bowers said. “The whole Pac-10 is really strong this year. I feel like anytime we’re at home, though, we have a chance to do a good job and it puts us in a good position for a win.”

Friday night’s matchup should be a good one, as both teams are pretty evenly matched. Both the Huskies and the Sun Devils share a 1-6 overall record, with both teams’ wins coming at the expense of the UC Berkeley. While both teams only have one win, they both have competed against some of the top teams in the country this season. This explains why the Sun Devils still hold a No.15 ranking, and how the Huskies have moved up in the rankings to No. 26.

Arizona State leads the all-time series against the Huskies, with a 40-14 record. Last year when these two teams competed against each other, the Sun Devils defeated the Dawgs 196.525-194.450 in the regular season dual meet. However, the Huskies beat the Sun Devils 194.775-194.550 at the Pac-10 Championships last year.

“During the second half of the season our goal is to really hit our routines and be consistent,” Bowers said. “One of our goals is to always get a good score.”

Washington’s freshmen have wasted no time making their presence known this year. Freshmen Haley Bogart, Kristen Linton, Samantha Walior and Karen Cain have all had a substantial impact so far this season. Against Utah, Bogart tied for first on the balance beam with defending NCAA champion Ashley Postell from Utah. Both Bogart and Walior achieved career highs against the Utes, with Bogart setting career highs in all four of the events she competed in and Walior in all three of the events she competed in.

The Dawgs have had a couple of injuries over the past couple weeks. Early in the season, sophomore Cassidy Lance was forced to retire from the season after tearing her ACL against Oregon State. Fellow teammate, junior Kristen Omori, suffered the same injury against Utah last week on her beam dismount, and will also have to sit out the rest of the season.

[Reach reporter Rebecca Rogers at sports@thedaily.washington.edu.]