The 20th-ranked LSU gymnastics team opens its home schedule Friday against No. 2 Alabama at 7 p.m. in the PMAC.
The Tigers (2-2, 0-1) look to rebound from two disappointing early season meets. LSU finished second in the Michigan State Quad Meet Jan. 9 to open the year and dropped their Southeastern Conference opener to Florida 197.100-195.300.
Falls on the balance beam and uneven bars hurt the Tigers in both meets. LSU coach D-D Breaux said the team needs to improve its concentration in order to improve.
“I think it’s lack of focus and those intangible things that you can’t take care of through working hard because we’ve done all the hard work,” said Breaux of her team’s mistakes. “We’ve done everything we can do to be ready to be 100% and now it’s up to them to focus and show some character — show what kind of competitors they are.”
After watching her team drop from a preseason No. 10 ranking to No. 20, Breaux said she would shuffle her roster for Friday’s meet.
“We’ve changed our lineup,” Breaux said. “We’re trying to find six people that can hit. Once we find those six people that can hit then it will be up to somebody else to challenge them and get in the lineup. As of now we’re not solid yet. We don’t know where our consistency is.”
LSU gymnast Lisa Rennie is unaffected by the Tigers’ woes on bars. Rennie’s scores of 9.800 and 9.900 rank her 14th in the nation in the event.
“Bars has been my strongest event so far,” said the freshman from Las Vegas. “I’ve been going out in the meets, staying positive, and doing well.”
Rennie’s success on bars has not, however, transferred onto the balance beam where she has struggled so far this year.
“That’s been frustrating because beam should be up there with bars for me, but nerves have been getting to me on beam,” Rennie said.
Breaux also believes that the freshman class’ growing pains have been a factor in LSU’s slow start.
“That’s kind of been the inconsistent problem that we’re having to deal with,” Breaux said. “Once the three freshmen gel and if they get it together and develop the kind of competitive character that it takes to be leaders, we’re going to be awesome because they are a very strong freshmen group.”
April Burkholder, last season’s SEC Freshman of the Year, has been anything but inconsistent in the first two meets. Burkholder ranks sixth nationally in the vault and 12th in the all-around.
The sophomore gymnast also believes that LSU must remain focused Friday.
“I think our team would be really great if we just hit it the same way we do in practice,” Burkholder said. “The first two meets were nerve-racking for everybody and especially the freshmen. I think we’re a better team than what we’ve shown so far.”
Alabama comes into Baton Rouge looking for its first win in the PMAC since 1998. The Crimson Tide (6-0) are ranked first in the country in the floor and are fresh off a 197.125-194.600 win against Penn State.
“[Alabama] is always strong, always ready to compete,” Breaux said. “We’ve got to be intense and strong and competitive throughout the whole meet.”
“I think that we need to take advantage of this opportunity, being at home and being on our equipment. In our venue with our crowd I would like to think that we can take advantage of that and put together a great meet.”