BATON ROUGE – The third-ranked LSU gymnastics team will host Missouri in the first Southeastern Conference home meet of the season as the two sets of Tigers square off at 7:30 p.m. CT Friday inside the Maravich Center.
Doors to the Maravich Center open at 6 p.m., and the first 1,500 fans in attendance will receive white “Holy Cow” t-shirts. The meet is also designated as a student point night.
Opening ceremonies and team introductions begin at 7:15 p.m., so fans are encouraged to arrive early.
LSU brings a 3-0 overall record and 1-0 SEC record into the contest after wins over Iowa, Arizona State and Kentucky in the first two weeks of the season.
Against Missouri, LSU will look to extend two current streaks. The Tigers are riding an eight-meet home win streak and a streak of 10 consecutive home meets with a 197 or higher team score that dates back to the 2013 season.
For LSU head coach D-D Breaux and the Tigers, the focus leading up to Friday’s meet has been on making improvements not only in skills and execution but also in the mental portion of the competition.
“What we need to see week in and week out is a consistent level of high intensity,” Breaux said. “We need consistency in sticking dismounts, hitting handstands and solid and fluid motion on the beam. If we do those things and get better at that through the season, this is a team that can accomplish much.
“The great thing is we have a team that can continue to make those improvements.”
LSU has seen contributions from several gymnasts in the early going, including outstanding performances from senior Jessie Jordan who is the two-time reigning SEC Gymnast of the Week after winning all-around titles against Iowa and Kentucky/Arizona State.
Jordan leads the team with six individual titles through two meets, and she ranks in the Top 11 nationally on floor (No. 1), beam (No. 2), bars (No. 11) and the all-around (No. 3).
Rheagan Courville has captured four individual titles this season and is up to 75 for her career, a number that ranks fourth in LSU history, surpassing Susan Jackson’s 74.
LSU has displayed great depth this season as five Tigers have captured at least one individual title, including Lloimincia Hall, Myia Hambrick and Ashleigh Gnat along with Courville and Jordan.
In all, 11 of the 15 gymnasts on the roster have competed this season. Freshman Erin Macadaeg ranks seventh nationally on beam with a 9.875 average, and Jessica Savona, Randii Wyrick and Shae Zamardi have all posted career-high bars scores. Savona also ranks 15th nationally on floor.
Missouri (2-1, 0-1) is coming off a season-best 195.225 score at Georgia last week, and the Tigers have shown major improvement in head coach Shannon Welker’s second season. They have already scored higher on vault (48.950) and beam (48.925) than at any point last season, and Missouri is led by freshman all-arounder Shauna Miller who has won two all-around titles this season.
LSU is 28-6 all-time against Missouri, which includes a perfect 12-0 home record. Last season, LSU defeated Missouri 198.050-194.825 in the Maravich Center.
Season and individual meet tickets are available for purchase by visiting http://www.lsutix.net/, calling the LSU Ticket Office at 225-578-2184 or in person on the first floor of the Moran Family Center for Athletic Administration. Season tickets cost $25 for adults and $15 for youth ages 3-12, and reserved individual meet tickets cost $8 for adults and $5 for youth.
SEC Network will be on hand to broadcast the meet. Holly Rowe (play-by-play), Alicia Sacramone-Quinn (analyst), and LSU alum Ashley Lee (reporter) will call the action. The meet is tape delayed for television and will air on the SEC Network at 6 p.m. Monday. The meet will also be available live on SEC Network+ at http://www.watchespn.com/.
For the latest information on LSU gymnastics, visit www.LSUsports.net/gymnastics. Fans can stay connected with the Tigers on the team’s social media outlets: www.Facebook.com/lsugym, @LSUgym on Twitter, LSUgym on Snapchat, @LSU_gym on Instagram and www.YouTube.com/lsugymnastics.