COSTA MESA -- Senior day for Vanguard STUNT went according to plan for the Blue and Gold, as the Lions picked up two wins on Saturday.  Scoring 25 points in each match, the Lions handled UC Davis with ease with a 25-11 victory, but the squad had a closer tussle with Fresno Pacific after that.  The new team on the block went toe-to-toe with VU for the entire contest, but the Lions prevailed 25-23 to improve to 9-10 on the year.
 
What Happened?  Against the Aggies, the Lions scored on every routine and took all four points in the first quarter of partner stunts.  UCD got a "within-two" point on routine two to open the second period of pyramids and tosses, but the Lions racked up the next three tallies to lead 9-1 at halftime.  In the third stanza of jumps and tumbling, the Lions had a 4-1 edge to stake a 13-2 lead entering the final quarter, where UC Davis showed some mettle.  The visitors had their best frame, though VU claimed the period 12-9 to record a 25-11 triumph to open the tri-meet.
 
After FPU bested UCD, the Sunbirds and the Lions went at it to close out the day, and the margins were thin on most performances.  The Lions got the first point of the match only to see FPU take back-to-back "within-two" decisions, as the Sunbirds led 4-3 after the first interval.  The Blue and Gold again dropped a point to open the second period, but got its own "within-two" call on routine five to counter.  Each side scored on routine three, and the Lions took the sole point for routine four to put the match at an 8-8 tie at the break.
 
In jumps and tumbling, the sides exchanged "within-two" calls to start the quarter, but Vanguard grabbed the final two points on offer on routines five and two to inch out to a 13-11 advantage.  That proved to be the difference, as both teams registered 12 points in the final quarter of the combined acts.  FPU and VU scored two points on routine five, with FPU taking routine one 4-3 after that.  Follownig an even 2-2 scoreline on routine four, the Lions led 20-19 entering the final performance.  The judges liked each side, as the maximum number of points were doled out, but the Lions got two "within-two" decisions to win the match 25-23.

The 2026 senior class was then honored, as Jasmine Bernal, Trinity Coffey, Casey Clements, Alexandra Gamez, Brooke Harris, Isabella Long, Destanie Saunders, Isabella Villarreal, and Jolie Yniguez all took a final curtain call. 
 
What's Next?  The Lions travel to CUI for a 7:00 p.m. match on Tuesday.