In the classic movie, The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy repeats over and over again, "There's no place like home."
That's certainly the way 11th-year Baylor acrobatics & tumbling head coach Felecia Mulkey feels about her home gym, the Ferrell Center.
"There's no place like the Ferrell," said Mulkey, whose top-ranked Bears (8-0) will host No. 2 Oregon (5-1) at 5 p.m. Saturday in the final regular-season meet of the year. "We go to big, beautiful, new arenas. But there's nothing quite like the Ferrell. It's our fan engagement, it's the fans, it's everything."
With a "Fill the Ferrell" promotion that includes $2 tickets, Baylor is aiming to break the program and NCATA attendance record of 2,346 that was set seven years ago in a home meet against Oregon on Feb. 25, 2018.
"Sometimes, we go into these big, huge gymnasiums, and they're beautiful," said Mulkey, whose team brings a 46-meet winning streak into Saturday's matchup against the Ducks. "And we have to talk about bringing our own energy, because there's no energy in the room. In the Ferrell Center, we have to talk about, 'Let's control our energy,' because there's so much energy in the room. Add all of the pieces coming together, and it's going to be a fun day."
One of those pieces is recognizing the program's 11 seniors, including 2024 NCATA All-American Jordan Gruendler. Along with Maggie Smith, who transitioned to a manager role this year, also recognized will be Layla Alexander, Bailey Baughn, Morgan Brown, Talia De La Cruz, Addi Grandy, Rakel Jeffries, Aliyah Kaloostian, Emi Nelson, Mariah Polk and Adelaide Vezzosi.
"This group has been so much fun, and they've seen us through a lot of things," Mulkey said of the seniors. "I remember their freshman national championship at the University of Oregon and everything that went into that. Just to watch all of their growth individually and then also as a class come together, it's been one of the strongest senior leadership groups.
"I don't name captains, I don't believe in that. I feel like everybody leads in one way or another. And the important part of the year is to figure out how you lead. This senior class has been amazing in allowing everyone to lead in their own way but also holding our Baylor standard strong. Not backing off of it but doing it with grace and a mentorship attitude."
Mulkey said the senior class has been intentional "to leave a certain legacy. And whether they know they're doing that or not, they are."
Part of the last three of nine-consecutive NCATA national championships, Kaloostian said she has seen the team continue to change and grow throughout the year.
"We're learning to trust each other more every day," Kaloostian said. "And those little things are really what makes it so we can go out and do those crazy things on the mat. But behind the scenes has been a really beautiful journey to watch. In every aspect of our sport, from acro to tumbling event, we are all continually growing. And it's really cool to have meets like (Saturday) where we can just showcase it."
A returning All-American and the NCATA Freshman of the Year, sophomore top and tumbler Payton Washington from Round Rock, Texas, has won five Athlete of the Week honors this season.
"I'm getting a little more comfortable, but I'm learning every single day," Washington said. "There are so many different aspects to Acro, and it's just a lot different than cheer. But I have these amazing people that help me every day work on technique and just fixing everything and trying to make it perfect. The goal is always a 10, so I have way further to go, but we're working to get there."
Coming off a 27.51-point win over 10th-ranked St. Leo, the Bears recorded a pair of perfect 10.0 scores in the meet in compulsory toss and open pyramid.
"This time of the year, you'll see those," Mulkey said. "I think you'll see those across the board with some of the more established programs. Because by this time of the year, your compulsory should be close to a 10. Rarely do you get one, but it should be close to a 10. Rarely do you get one, but it should be close to a 10. And then, Leavy (McDonald) and Jordan and their little group that does that Heat 3 pyramid, it's very close to perfect every time."
Mulkey, who has a record of 103-2 at Baylor, suffered her only two losses in road meets at Oregon in 2017 and '21. Five of the Bears' NCATA championship finals came against the Ducks.
Kaloostian said matchups against teams like Oregon "means we have to show up."
"I think there are some teams where we can kind of create more of a gap in our start values," she said. "But that's not the case with Oregon. I think that's what makes it so fun, because we all do have to show up, and we all do have to come into it knowing that we're going to do what we're supposed to do on the mat. That's kind of what makes it fun."
Saturday's meet will be streamed by ESPN+, with Kurtis Quillin and former Baylor All-American Ashley Eichelberger calling the action.
