FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – For the fifth time this season, the second-ranked LSU gymnastics team (5-0, 4-0 SEC) will take on a top-25 team when the Tigers face No. 23 Arkansas (5-2, 1-2 SEC) at 7:30 p.m. CT Friday inside Barnhill Arena.
The top-25 showdown will be televised live on the SEC Network. Jenn Hildreth and Courtney Kupets Carter will have the call for the SEC matchup. The Tigers are looking to remain undefeated in 2017 and continue a streak of meets with a team score of 197 or better.
DD Previews the Meet
“Arkansas is a very tight competition environment and the fans are very close to the floor. It will be important for us remain focused and stay in the purple zone,” head coach D-D Breaux said. “The girls had a really good practice this week and are focused after leaving some points out there last week. We are taking it one meet at a time and the team has been focused on that.”
Last Time Out
LSU defeated No. 11 Missouri, 197.425-195.425, at home in front of more than 10,000
fans in the Maravich Center Friday night. The Tigers extended a pair of streaks Friday night against Mizzou, including a 24-straight meets inside the PMAC.
Senior Ashleigh Gnat and junior Myia Hambrick captured the vault title with a score of 9.95. Freshman Ruby Harrold won her first individual title with a 9.875 on bars. Junior Sarah Finnegan won the beam title with a 9.95. Gnat closed down the night with a 9.95 for her second title of the night and 46th of her career. Overall, freshman Kennedi Edney won her second all-around title
Tigers Hit 197 Five Times to Open 2017 – Best Start Ever
LSU has hit a team score of 197 or better in five-straight meets to open a season for the first time in school history. The Tigers are just one meet shy of tying the school record for meets with a 197 at 14. LSU opened with a 197.825 against No. 9 Georgia. The Tigers followed that with a
197.525 at No. 4 Alabama. LSU then hit a 197.475 at home against TWU and on the road at No. 6 Kentucky. Last week, LSU totaled a 197.425 at home against No. 11 Missouri
Tigers in the National Rankings
LSU is No. 2 in the Road To Nationals rankings. LSU ranks second in the nation on both floor and beam with averages of 49.470 and 49.375 respectively. The Tigers’ vault lineup ranks No. 2 in the nation with an average event score of 49.390. LSU dropped to No. 4 on bars with an average score of 49.320. Individual Rankings: Hambrick: 9th BB, 25th AA; Finnegan: 9th AA, 15th UB; Gnat: 1st VT, 4th AA, 5th FX; Edney: 4th AA, 12th FX, 15th UB, 20th VT, 21st BB; Lexie Priessman: 10th UB, 24th VT; Harrold: 24th UB; Lauren Li: 25th BB.
A Look at Arkansas
Arkansas scored a season-best 196.375 and rallied in the final rotation for a 196.375-196.075 win over the No. 17 Auburn Arkansas scored season bests on uneven bars (49.200), vault (48.975) and floor exercise (49.075) and matched a season best on balance beam (49.125) against the Tigers. In the rankings, the Razorbacks are in the top-25 on vault, bars and floor.
Series Record Between LSU and Arkansas
LSU owns a 28-5-1 all-time record over Arkansas. This marks just the seventh meeting between the two schools in Fayetteville with the Tigers owning a 5-1 record. The seniors are the only gymnasts who have competed in Barnhill Arena. In 2014, the Tigers earned a 197.225-196.275 win over the Razorbacks.
Fans can follow the Tigers on the team’s social media channels: @LSUgym on Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat, www.Facebook.com/lsugym and at YouTube.com/lsugymnastics.