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In the words of Utah gymnastics coach Megan Marsden, the Utes aren't "freaking out," about their troubles on floor. But they aren't ignoring it either.

The Utes, who don't compete again until they host Arizona in a rare Monday night meet, are taking advantage of a few extra days to focus on their floor routines.

Utah beat Oregon State 196.125-195.125 on Friday, but were on their way to a much bigger score until their final three competitors on floor had trouble, leaving Utah with a 48.425.

Marsden said the Utes expected some inconsistencies given the talent lost from their floor lineup of a year ago.

"We are trying to fill in the gaps and it is a young team and it's taking them a while to figure out the floor. It's frustrating, but we are only three meets into the season too."

To alleviate some of the pressure, the Utes plan to use MaKenna Merrell and Kailah Delaney early in the lineup against Arizona, move Kari Lee from the fifth to the third spot and finish with the three high scorers in Sabrina Schwab, Samantha Partyka and Breanna Hughes.

"We have a lot of gymnasts who are still early in their careers with us," Marsden said. "I think the circumstances of the moment got to them a little bit. The Huntman Center can be an intimidating place, so hopefully this will help them."

Hughes, who scored a 9.9 against the Beavers on the floor, said the team needed to do a better job of performing like they practice on the floor. They can handle the technical aspects, she said, they just need a mental shift.

"We were trying to be a little too perfect and we just need to trust our training more," she said.

Another change

Senior Kassandra Lopez will get a chance to claim a spot in the balance beam lineup when she competes in place of Merrell on Monday. Marsden said Lopez has a solid routine and is ready to go while Merrell is struggling a bit.

Merrell, a freshman, has scored two 9.575s and a 9.7 this year.

"We have a lot of options and depth on that event and MaKenna is feeling some pressure," Marsden said. "This will give her a chance to focus and get some confidence back."

Lopez was a strong beam worker for the Utes as a freshman and sophomore, but competed primarily on the bars in 2015 after missing most of the 2014 season with an Achilles injury.

In the rankings

The Utes slipped a spot to No. 7 with a 196.342 average while Florida is the top-ranked team in the country with a 197.192 average…The Utes are ranked eighth on vault (49.125), third on the uneven bars (49.292), sixth on the balance beam (49.125) and 26th on floor (48.8)…Baely Rowe is fourth on the bars (9.917) and Lopez is sixth (9.892). —

Top 25

1. Florida 197.192

2. Oklahoma 197.094

3. Michigan 196.938

4. UCLA 196.758

5. Alabama 196.688

6. LSU 196.45

7. Utah 196.342

8. Arkansas 196.113

9. Auburn 196.106

10. Boise State 196.093

11. George Washington 195.8

12. Stanford 195.783

13. Georgia 195.769

14. Denver 195.642

15. Oregon St. 195.633

16. Missouri 195.6

17. Nebraska 195.342

18. Minnesota 195.267

19. Illinois 195.242

20. Arizona 195.217

21. California 195.15

22. West Virginia 195.083

23. Kentucky 195.033

24 (t). Eastern Michigan 194.992

24 (t). SUU 194.992