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Despite the injury setbacks she and her teammates are facing, Utah gymnast Maddy Stover still has her sense of humor — and it turns out, her determination as well.

"I'm calling us the Tenacious 12," she said. "We are going to be unwavering and prevail. We have no choice to hunker down and show our grit."

So it is that the Utes are holding a No. 4 national ranking and are undefeated, but go into Saturday's meet against Cal at 1:30 p.m. feeling like they have to prove themselves.

The Utes say they not only have the depth, but the mental strength to continue to be a player among the nation's college gymnastics elite. Many teams fail to do so after losing the caliber of athlete of Sabrina Schwab, who tore her anterior cruciate ligament earlier in the season. Add to the injured list Kim Tessen, a freshman who was contributing on three events, and the Utes' goal of competing for a national title would seem very slim indeed.

But what can't be measured is the quality Stover mentioned, the team's fortitude to overcome obstacles. The way they responded with a solid 197.15-196.3 victory at Washington after Tessen was injured is only an indication of what is to come, she said.

"We are hurting and it is unfortunate, but we regroup as a team," she said. "Gymnastics is a sport, and injuries happen, but we have the depth and we just have to kick it into higher gear."

The talk sounds good, but can the Utes deliver?

Utah coach Megan Marsden believes they can.

"What happened after we lost Sabrina is they came roaring back with their highest score of the year and then the injury to Kim happens and they had a great meet," she said. "They are extremely gutsy and competitive and they are on a mission and as coaches, we continue to let them know we are still very much in the hunt."

To keep the team as healthy as possible, the Utes may rest gymnasts for meets or take some of the harder elements out of floor routines, to minimize the demands on the athletes.

This week the Utes have penciled in to use either sophomore Erika Muhaw or MaKenna Merrell in the vault after resting Merrell last week. The rest of the lineups will remain the same.

"They understand we have two serious injuries," Marsden said. "But they are determined to carry on and the way they have handled things so far makes me think they will continue to do that."

Utah sophomore Kari Lee echoed her coach, saying the team is down some personnel, but not spirit.

"We want to show we are a force to be reckoned with," she said. —

No. 15 California at No. 4 Utah

P At the Huntsman Center

Start • 1:30 p.m.

TV • Pac-12 Networks

Records • Utah (6-0, 1-0); Cal (8-0, 3-0)

Last meeting • Utah won the last regular season meeting, 197.025-196.75 (Feb. 27, 2016)

Of note • The Bears return every routine from their 2016 team that finished seventh at the NCAA Championships. … Cal's Toni-Ann Williams has won all four floor competitions and Desiree Palomares has three wins on the beam. … Utah's MyKayla Skinner has 17 out of a possible 20 wins. … As a team the Utes have hit 92 of 96 routines.