This Friday, Alabama gymnastics is set to host the reigning National Champions, the No. 3 LSU Tigers.
“We have a ton to be excited about this week. We’ve learned a lot over the last four weeks,” head coach Ashley Johnston said. “We’ve got to stay in our bubble, we’ve got to focus on the things that make this team great.”
In the past two meets, junior Gabby Gladieux has posted a 9.9 on the floor and has been the only Alabama gymnast to achieve a score of 9.9.
“It’s not about being perfect, it’s about digging into those intense, uncomfortable moments and finding a way to be great in those,” Johnston said.
Alabama will want to look to limit falls and stepping out of bounds on the floor as well as looking to limit other deductions, such as not sticking a landing. This will help the team score as many points as possible to keep a tight competition against the Tigers. LSU is one of two NCAA gymnastics teams this season to post a team score of 198, a tough feat in gymnastics.
Last season, the Crimson Tide traveled to Baton Rouge and lost 198.325-197.325 to the Tigers. LSU’s Haleigh Bryant is the reigning all-around national champion and won all event titles in last season’s matchup against Alabama, but is solely competing on the balance beam and floor currently due to injury.
This leaves room for the Crimson Tide to try to sneak in and gain some event titles. To do so, Alabama will have to make sure there are no falls on the uneven bars or the balance beam.
This Friday is “We are Bama-ly” night. The meet is set to start at 8 p.m. CT and can be streamed on ESPN2.
