In a match that came right down to the wire, the Quinnipiac Bobcats acrobatics and tumbling team fell to the Baylor Bears on Saturday by a score of 284.460 to 280.685. 

When the Bears walked into the People’s United Center, there was not a big crowd that was rallying behind the Bobcats like they would had hoped in their last home tri-meet against Kutztown and Gannon in early February, but that did not mean that head coach Mary Ann Powers’ confidence was going to change in how her squad performed on the mats. 

Even in a nail-biting loss to a Baylor program that has won the previous six National Collegiate Acrobatics & Tumbling Association (NCATA) championships, Powers still considers this a win in her book. 

“They are seeded No. 1,” Powers said. “We beat them in many rounds and we stayed close…this team is ready to compete.”

While it will never show up in the stat sheet, the team has arguably some of the best bench energy that has been seen on Lender Court in quite some time. 

“We have to make sure they are not going cold on the sidelines and that their attitude remains up…we have to execute and do things our way,” Powers said. “Adrenaline has the danger of going over or under, so finding the balance is something we work really hard on.”

It is obvious that acrobatics and tumbling has a different atmosphere from other sports like hockey and basketball to name a few, which lends itself to the athletes with a unique opportunity during the contest – interacting with fans during the matchup as a common occurrence. 

While from the outside looking in, it seems it should not be the case. For Powers, however, it is commonplace at this point, especially when there was a time when they were not allowed to have fans in the stands to watch. 

“They are a funny crew like that, they like to put on a show,” Powers said with a smile. “Part of what we do is performance generated…I like to feel that they feel like a rockstar when everybody is with them.”

Energy that came from the athletes and by spectators alike may not be easily replicated time after time, but Powers feels that is going to have to be the key to finish off the season strong. 

While the plan is to finish the season strong, their next matchup is not an easy one by any means, when they play host to the Oregon Ducks on April 3 and have a second go-around with Gannon University on April 9 in Erie, Pennsylvania. 

Postseason action is set to start April 28 in Eugene, Oregon.