LSU gymnastics coach D-D Breaux and her team feel they are hitting their stride at just the right time in the season with only three weeks left until the Southeastern Conference Championship meet.The Tigers have posted three-straight scores of 196.625 or higher, including last weekend’s season-high 197.400, the second-highest score in the nation so far this season.”We really try to peak at the right time,” said LSU junior Sabrina Franceschelli. “Yes, we got off to a slow start, but we usually do. D-D always says it’s the end result, not what happens at the beginning, so we are really starting to pick it up now, which is great.”Along with that peak comes an air of confidence with a pair of recent victories against two top-10 teams – Florida and Alabama.No. 6 LSU (10-2, 3-2) will try to get its third-straight home victory and its fourth-straight victory overall tonight as the Tigers face No. 9 Arkansas (6-2, 3-2) in their last SEC home meet of the season.”The win against Florida, and then to back that up with a win at Alabama, was huge,” Breaux said. “But then to come back home and score a 197-plus was good.”Arkansas is coming off their second highest score of the season in a 196.725-196.925 loss to then-No. 2 Georgia.”We performed pretty well,” said Arkansas co-head coach Mark Cook. “We had a few small mistakes here and there. We have to be able to stick our landings a little better and eliminate some of the little mistakes.”While the Tigers will look to their one-two punch of senior Ashleigh Clare-Kearney and junior Susan Jackson to perform at a high level, Breaux acknowledged the first four performers of the LSU lineup will have to show up for a victory against Arkansas.
“The key for us is going to be having a nice, smooth start from the four people at the beginning of our lineup,” Breaux said. “Then Susan and Ashleigh have to be awesome. If we do that, we will definitely have another great score.”One of those four is two-time defending SEC Freshman of the Week Gloria Johnson, who is coming off winning the first individual title of her career with a personal-best 9.90 on the vault last Friday.”The fact that Gloria Johnson won SEC Freshman of the Week two weeks in a row was an outstanding accomplishment for her,” Breaux said. “She has begun to work harder every day she comes to the gym. She’s very talented, and sometimes she took that talent for granted.”LSU junior Summer Hubbard said the team has also found stability and depth in its lineup outside of the usual starting six in each event.”Anything can happen injury-wise in this sport,” Hubbard said. “Depth is vital. At the beginning of the season we weren’t seeing a lot of depth, but now we are, and it’s great to see that at the end of the season.”Children’s cartoon star Dora the Explorer will make a special appearance at the meet, and there will also be a handstand contest for LSU students with a $100 prize.—-Contact Andy Schwehm at [email protected]