BATON ROUGE – The meet between the 24th-ranked LSU gymnastics team and BYU will be held as scheduled at 7 p.m. CT in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center Friday.
LSU (1-5) is coming off a season-high 195.550 score at the Metroplex Challenge that saw several Tigers tie or set career highs, led by all-around freshmen Sarie Morrison and Kaleigh Dickson.
Morrison tied her career high on vault with a 9.875, and she set new highs on bars (9.875), beam (9.85), floor (9.80) and the all-around (39.400).
Dickson scored career highs on bars (9.75), beam (9.825), floor (9.825) and the all-around (39.125).
After Florida snapped LSU’s 10-meet home win streak, the Tigers will look to continue the momentum established at the Metroplex Challenge and begin a new streak against the Cougars.
“Our whole goal is to plant the LSU flag in the top of the hill at the end of the season and that top of the hill is in Cleveland, Ohio at the National Championships,” coach D-D Breaux said. “Last week was a huge step up that hill. We saw enthusiasm. We experienced kids taking over and managing themselves, their teammates and holding each other accountable for staying focused and not fearing what they do every day in practice.
“Once we start sticking more landings and really being in control of good gymnastics we are going to improve our score even more because we have much higher scoring potential.”
As a team, LSU posted season high scores of 48.900 on bars, 48.950 on beam and 48.725 on floor at the Metroplex Challenge, and the Tigers will rely on a complete team effort to improve on those scores.
Freshman Maliah Mathis won the floor title at Metroplex with a 9.875, and sophomore Shelby Prunty led off beam with a career-high 9.875.
LSU will compete for its first 196 score of the season, but the Tigers will have to do it short handed. All-American senior Samantha Engle and freshman Sarah Zoldos are still suffering from sprained ankles and will be limited. Both are expected to compete on bars, but Engle is questionable to compete on beam and floor while Zoldos probably will not compete on vault and floor.
“We are still injured,” Breaux said. “The only thing that will fix that situation is time. Unfortunately, we don’t have time, and we don’t have much depth left. The kids we do have are doing a great job, and we just have to keep pushing and expecting them to respond in a positive manner.”
The meet will be televised on a tape delay basis by Cox Sports Television, and the meet will air for the first time on Feb. 11 at 9 p.m.
Live video and stats will be available on www.LSUsports.net, and live score updates will be provided on www.Facebook.com/lsugym and from our Twitter account @LSUgym.
This meet opens up a three-week homestand for the Tigers as next week LSU takes on No. 11 Arkansas in the Maravich Center.