Utah's gymnastics team didn't just bounce back from a rare home loss, the Utes vaulted back to the win column.

The No. 3 Utes easily beat Arizona State 196.525-194.125 on Friday in front of 12,836 at the Huntsman Center.

The Utes (4-1), who saw their 20-meet home winning streak end against Stanford a week ago, had one of their best vault sets of the year to spark their victory over the Sun Devils (1-7).

The 49.225 vault score was the second-highest of the year, behind previous marks of 49.275 against UCLA and Stanford. The team's final score was the season high.

"We've been working on our landings and the beginning of our vaults a lot," said freshman Corrie Lothrop, who won the all-around with a 39.425. "We're not pushing for perfection in our training, but it's starting to look like that."

The impressive vault score is even more satisfying for the Utes because they continue to post high numbers on the apparatus even without seniors Kyndal Robarts (knee injury) and Jacquelyn Johnson (concussion symptoms).

Robarts, who hurt her knee during vault warm-ups at Nebraska, is ranked No. 1 in the nation on the event, averaging a 9.9.

While sympathy for the senior was a priority, the Utes also couldn't help wondering just how far this team could have gone if Robarts had remained healthy.

The Utes will never know that answer, but so far, they have done an admirable enough job of replacing her to believe their quest for being in the mix at the end of the year is a realistic goal.

Friday's vault showing was a perfect example. The Utes, who stressed sticking their landings in practice this week, all scored 9.8 or higher. Victoria Shanley, who only recently joined the lineup, scored a team-high 9.875.

As a team the Utes are ranked third nationally, averaging 49.194 before Friday's meet.

"It shows how much we have even without Kyndal," said junior Stephanie McAllister, who posted a 39.3 in the all-around to finish second.

Having a good vault lineup is crucial because it sets the tone for the rest of the meet, coach Greg Marsden said. On Friday, the Utes' momentum on vault seemed to carry over to the uneven bars, where they posted a 49.275, topped by a 9.9 from McAllister.

"It starts that snowball going down the hill," Marsden said. "You're getting more and more excited, and the scores get bigger and bigger. What you want to do is build on that throughout the meet."

The Utes lost some of that momentum on the floor because both McAllister and Mary Beth Lofgren stepped out. The Utes finished with a 48.925, a score that was the only disappointing event.

"It was a little frustrating," Marsden said. "Like last week, we had a good meet going. We didn't do anything horrible but had two go out of bounds. We were a little too pumped up. Like last week, I thought we improved a bit on everything but floor. We aren't doing anything terribly wrong, but we aren't precise with our landings."

lwodraska@sltrib.com —

Utah 196.525,ASU 194.125

R In short • The Utes earn their highest score of the year and beat the Sun Devils for a ninth straight time.

Key moment • The Utes score a season-best 49.275 on bars to put the meet out of reach.

Key stat • Utah's Corrie Lothrop scores a 39.425 to win the all-around. —

By rotation

First rotation • Utah (vault) 49.225; ASU (uneven bars) 48.875

Second rotation • Utah (uneven bars) 49.275; ASU (vault) 48.825

Third rotation • Utah (balance beam) 49.1; ASU (floor) 48.85

Fourth rotation • Utah (floor) 48.925; ASU (balance beam) 47.575