BATON ROUGE — The seventh-ranked LSU gymnastics team will face its first top-10 match-up of the season Friday when it travels to Fayetteville, Ark., for a dual meet with No. 8 Arkansas. Competition is set for 7 p.m. from UA’s Barnhill Arena.
The meet, the first on the SEC slate for both the Tigers and the Gym’Backs, will be broadcast by COX Sports Television on a tape delay basis. Air dates are scheduled for Sunday, Jan. 27, at 7 p.m. and Monday, Jan. 28, at noon.
Video streaming as well as an internet audiocast of the meet will be available live online at www.LSUsports.net to members of the Geaux Zone. The video stream will be provided by the University of Arkansas, and will not include the LSU audiocast.
The Tigers enter the competition with a perfect 4-0 record behind a season-opening victory at the Cancun Classic on Jan. 4 and a win over Iowa last Friday at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
Competition for Tigers jumps up a notch this weekend as they get their first taste of an SEC road venue this season.
“Arkansas always has a great crowd,” said LSU head coach D-D Breaux. “With us being No. 7 and them being No. 8, I have not doubts that it will be a great competitive environment.”
Arkansas enters the meet with a 1-1 record after defeating West Virginia and falling to Michigan in a tri-meet last week. The Gym’Backs were led by a trio of all-arounders in that competition, in Casey Jo Magee, Amy DeFilippo and Sam Cortez, that all posted marks of 38.750 or better.
The Tigers will counter with all-arounders Ashleigh Clare-Kearney and Susan Jackson. Clare-Kearney is currently ranked third nationally in the all-around averaging a 39.512 through two meets. She has been dominate in those outings, claiming two all-around victories and picking up another six individual event titles.
Jackson, a solid competitor with 9.900 potential on each of the four events, turned in her top all-around effort of the season last week against Iowa. The sophomore notched a 39.075, a score that was good enough for a second-place finish.
In the team race, the Tigers hold the all-time series advantage with a perfect 12-0 record against the Gym’Backs, a mark that includes a 3-0 slate in Fayetteville as well as a 3-0 mark in meets last season.
Following the Arkansas meet, the Tigers continue the SEC road slate Saturday, Jan. 26, when they travel to Athens, Ga., for a dual-meet with second-ranked and three-time defending NCAA champions, Georgia.