BATON ROUGE – Despite senior all-arounder Sabrina Franceschelli having to sit out vault and floor with a leg injury, the 11th-ranked LSU gymnastics team tied its season high in a 196.475-190.775 win against Texas Woman’s Friday in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
Senior Susan Jackson also broke the LSU record for consecutive all-around titles to open a season as she captured her sixth straight title with a 39.525 mark.
“We built on last week and had some adversity we had to deal with because Sabrina had a nagging leg injury,” head coach D-D Breaux said. “Her injury really affected our lineups, but we had some breakthrough performances from some people. To get the same score we got last week in this meet showed a lot of team character and fight.”
Franceschelli was a late scratch for the Tigers as Breaux removed her from vault and floor competition during warm-ups because of a leg injury.
Even without Franceschelli, LSU (5-3) opened the meet with a 49.000 on vault led by Jackson’s 9.90 and senior Kayla Rogers’ 9.875. Sophomore Ashley Lee scored a 9.775, Gloria Johnson earned a 9.75 and freshman Shelby Prunty poured in a 9.70 in the first vault of her career.
Texas Woman’s (6-6) managed a 48.000 on bars, and sophomore Rashonda Cannie produced the team’s high score with a 9.775.
LSU started cranking on all cylinders in the second rotation with a season-high 49.325 on bars, paced by junior Samantha Engle’s career-best 9.950, shattering her previous high of 9.875. It also marked Engle’s first career bars title. Jackson finished second in the event with a 9.925, and Hubbard earned a 9.875 to lead the Tigers. Franceschelli scored a 9.825 in the leadoff spot, and Prunty produced a 9.75.
LSU carried the momentum into the third rotation as the Tigers tallied a season-best 49.225 on beam, including back-to-back-to-back 9.85 scores by Johnson, Hubbard and Engle. In the leadoff spot, Prunty earned a career-high 9.80, and Jackson won the event title with a 9.875 at the end of the lineup.
In the final rotation on floor, Rogers opened the event for LSU and captured the title with a season-high tying 9.90. Hubbard and Jackson both registered 9.825 scores, and Lee earned a 9.70 to pace the Tigers. Engle also scored well with a 9.775, but she stepped out of bounds on her second pass to lower her score to a 9.675.
Texas Woman’s scored well in the second rotation with a 48.525 on vault, but the Pioneers fell apart in the third and fourth rotations, scoring a 47.975 on floor and a 46.275 on beam to end the meet.
Not only did Jackson win her sixth-straight all-around crown, she also won her fifth vault title of the season and her fourth beam title of the year.
“I wasn’t fully there tonight, and my energy level was a little down,” Jackson said. “But I am proud of the accomplishment with the new school record, and it is very exciting. I know we are going to keep working as a team to improve because we are moving in the right direction.”
Hubbard was also impressive as she shook off a 9.575 vault score to earn her career high all-around total with a 39.125, including her season-high 9.85 on beam.
After two straight home meets LSU will now head on the road for two weeks as the Tigers travel to Fayetteville, Ark., Feb. 19 to take on No. 3 Arkansas.
MEET RESULTS
Team
1. LSU 196.475 (VT – 49.000, UB – 49.325, BB – 49.225, FX – 48.925)
2. Texas Woman’s 190.775 (VT – 48.525, UB – 48.000, BB – 46.275, FX – 47.975)
Individual (Includes first place and all LSU competitors)
All-Around – 1. Susan Jackson 39.525; 2. Summer Hubbard 39.125
Vault – 1. Susan Jackson 9.90; 2. Kayla Rogers 9.875; 3. Ashley Lee 9.775; t4. Gloria Johnson 9.75; 8. Shelby Prunty 9.70; 11. Summer Hubbard 9.575
Bars – 1. Samantha Engle 9.95; 2. Susan Jackson 9.925; 3. Summer Hubbard 9.875; 4. Sabrina Franceschelli 9.825; 6. Shelby Prunty 9.750; 7. Kayla Rogers 9.725
Beam – 1. Susan Jackson 9.875; t2. Summer Hubbard 9.850; t2. Samantha Engle 9.850; t2. Gloria Johnson 9.850; 5. Shelby Prunty 9.80; 6. Sabrina Franceschelli 9.70
Floor – 1. Kayla Rogers 9.90; t2. Susan Jackson 9.825; t2. Summer Hubbard 9.825; t5. Ashley Lee 9.70; 7. Samantha Engle 9.675