BATON ROUGE – The LSU gymnastics team will look to carry the momentum from season-high scores in back-to-back meets when the Tigers play host to 11th-ranked Arkansas at 7 p.m. Friday in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
The meet is Kids Night, and kids will get in free with the purchase of an adult ticket. The first 500 fans in attendance will also receive a free Susan Jackson bobble head doll, commemorating the three-time NCAA champion and 2010 SEC Female Athlete of the Year.
LSU (2-5, 0-2 SEC) set a season high with a 195.550 at the Metroplex Challenge on Jan. 29, and the Tigers eclipsed that mark last week with a 195.875 in the Maravich Center against BYU.
“I want to see intensity and enthusiasm from our team, which we have seen increasing as we get to the middle of our season,” head coach D-D Breaux said. “We are excited to have a very good Arkansas team coming in here at this point of the season.”
LSU, ranked 19th in the GymInfo rankings, has received outstanding scores from several freshmen. Sarie Morrison and Kaleigh Dickson have scored well this season as LSU’s only two all-arounders.
Morrison captured the all-around title last week against BYU, and Dickson set a career-high on bars with a 9.80.
Freshman Maliah Mathis had her best meet of the season last week with 9.80’s on vault and beam as well as a 9.925 on floor – the highest score this season for an LSU gymnast.
The freshmen were not the only Tigers setting new highs as sophomores Ericka Garcia and Shelby Prunty scored career-best 9.85’s on beam and bars, respectively.
LSU is aiming for its first 196 score of the season, and the Tigers will rely on contributions from Samantha Engle, Ashley Lee, Janelle Garcia, Sarah Zoldos and Casey Duvall for solid scores on each event.
“They have worked hard with a lot of focus, and we want to have the same kind of performance we have had the last two weeks while trying to make those little improvements that we have worked on all week at practice,” Breaux said.
Arkansas (3-2, 3-0) enters the meet on a tear after winning three-straight meets, including last week’s upset over No. 4 Georgia in Fayetteville, and the Razorbacks have been consistent all season with a team average of 195.180.
LSU leads the series 19-1-1, but the matchup has been competitive in recent years. Last year in Fayetteville the teams tied at 196.200, but the Tigers finished ahead of Arkansas at the SEC Championship and NCAA Championships.
LSU’s only loss against Arkansas came at the 2009 NCAA Super Six Final when the Razorbacks finished one spot ahead of the Tigers.
Following the meet, LSU will prepare for the Fourth Annual Etta James Memorial Meet against Georgia at 7 p.m. on Feb. 18 in the Maravich Center.