No. 13 Michigan State gymnastics got down early, but the Spartans worked their way back to earn their first victory of the young season, on the road at North Carolina State, 196.400-196.375.

MSU moves to 1-1 with the win and gets ready to open Big Ten play next weekend when they host No. 4 Michigan on Sunday, Jan. 22 for their home opener at Jenison Field House. The in-state rivalry will air on the Big Ten Network at a time to be determined.

Michigan State head coach Mike Rowe was proud of his team’s tenacity, grit, and enthusiasm.

"They truly represented what our program's culture is all about,” Rowe said. “A nail-biter for sure, but the message behind it is clear: we're not giving in, and we've got tons left in the tank."

MSU's twitter account shared video highlights of the Spartans' victory:

In their first rotation, the Spartans took to the bars and scored 48.600 due to two falls in their lineup. NC State scored a 49.100 when they took to the bars. MSU was led by juniors Delanie Harkness and Olivia Zsarmani who both scored 9.900 and shared the event title. Zsarmani's 9.900 was a career-high.

But bars was the only event Michigan State would lose to NC State; the Spartans swept the remaining three events by just enough to win the photo finish by an 1/8th of a point. MSU earned event wins on vault, beam, and floor.

Moving to the vault, the Spartans earned a 49.200 and cut into the Wolfpack’s lead when they put up a 49.125. Senior Nyah Smith scored a 9.800, freshman Sage Kellerman scored 9.875, and freshman Nikki Smith posted a 9.850. Gabrielle Stephen anchored the Spartans with a 9.900 for her second-consecutive vault title.

On their floor routines, the Spartans scored their highest rotation of the season, a 49.400, while the Wolfpack put up a 49.250. On the floor, all six of MSU's routines scored a 9.800 or higher with Harkness tying her career-high with a 9.925 to earn a share of the event title with NC State's Chloe Negrete. Nikki Smith (9.900) and Baleigh Garcia (9.850) also scored career-highs while Schulte scored 9.875 and Stephen put up a 9.850. Nyah Smith posted a 9.800.

Garcia clinched the win for MSU in the beam anchor spot by scoring her second-straight 9.900; that was also high enough for Garcia to claim the beam title for the second week in a row. Stephen (9.875), Schulte (9.850), and Nikki Smith (9.825) all posted scores in the 9.8s and MSU’s 49.200 on the beam was a season-high for the Spartans. Nikki Smith made her debut on beam vs NC State.

In the all-around, Stephan finished second (39.400) while Schulte finished third (39.275). NC State's Emily Shepard won the all-around with a score of 39.450.

Final results: