The No. 3 LSU gymnastics team should be used to this by now.
For the third week in a row, the Tigers (7-2, 3-1 Southeastern Conference) will take on the No. 2 team in the country away from Baton Rouge. After facing Oklahoma for two straight competitions, LSU wraps up its grueling four-meet road stretch against reigning national champion Florida at 6 p.m. tonight in Gainesville, Fla.
The Gators (6-0, 4-0 SEC) were No. 1 for two weeks before the Sooners scored a 198.175 Saturday at the Metroplex Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas, to reclaim the top spot.
The Tigers finished second in the four-team field behind Oklahoma, despite setting a program-record 197.875 team score. LSU downed the Sooners, 197.650-197.325, on Feb. 9 in their first meeting in Norman, Okla.
The Tigers tallied a 197 or higher in six of its seven meets this season, and junior all-arounder Rheagan Courville insisted LSU’s break-out scores were no fluke.
“The performances we’ve had thus far are just indicative of how prepared we are,” Courville said. “It’s not that we’ve peaked too soon, it’s not that we’re just doing our best now — we’re prepared. We’re ready for the end of this season, and we know what it’s going to take to end as champions. We watched other people do it, and we believe it’s our turn.”
Part of that preparation is sufficient rest, according to LSU coach D-D Breaux. The Tigers’ last three meets occurred in a span of eight days, and Breaux was mindful of the physical toll exacted by such a rigorous schedule.
Breaux said she planned to lighten the workload of junior all-arounder Jessie Jordan, who has been battling a sore back. Jordan suffered her first fall of the season during her floor routine last Saturday.
Despite the challenges of LSU’s extended road trip, senior all- arounder Sarie Morrison said competition away from home has simulated the postseason and served as adequate preparation for Florida.
“We’ve made the most of every meet on this road stretch,” Courville said. “Being able to post the scores we’ve had on the road says a lot about our ability to adapt to whatever situation we’re in. It says a lot about the maturity of this team.”
Courville put the Tigers on a level playing field with the Gators, and her claim is statistically sound.
Though Florida boasts two of the top three all-around gymnasts in the nation, its average team score is only .013 more than LSU’s. The Gators post greater averages on bars and beam, but the Tigers hold the advantage on vault and floor.
Courville stressed the similarities between the two, but the Tigers are confident they’ll have the edge. After all, they’ve been here before.
“We have to go in knowing we’re physically prepared but also physically rested,” Breaux said. “We have to maintain a real fine balance in our preparation, knowing that it’s the emotional aspect of what goes on Friday night that’s going to bring us a victory.”
“We’re ready for the end of this season, and we know what it’s going to take to end as champions. We watched other people do it and we believe it’s our turn.”