LSU Gymnasts Kailin Chio and Sierra Ballard spoke to the media on Friday after an electric win against No. 1 Oklahoma inside the PMAC.

“Jay always talks about a firestarter, and how it’s necessary to kind of getting the energy rolling,” Sierra Ballard says of her role on the team.

Ballard had a career high on beam Friday night with a score of 9.950 giving the Tigers the momentum they needed as they headed into their third rotation tied with Oklahoma. Not only did she execute on beam, but she kept her teammates focused on the goal at hand with her high energy in the huddle.

“She’s a very very mature competitor. She’s also very mature in the way that she handles her approach every single day in practice. She’s a bit of a perfectionist and she takes that really to heart and puts in the work every single day at practice to make sure that everything she is doing is to the best of her ability.” Ballard said about teammate Kailin Chio.

Chio has been a significant force for the Tigers this season as an all-around gymnast. She continues to showcase her abilities finishing the meet Friday with an all-around score of 39.725, higher than all of Oklahoma’s all-around competitors.

“I think that just going into the gym and just kind of doing what I know how to do is really helping me out.” Chio says about growing her confidence after a rough two weeks of performances.

Chio and Ballard will look to keep the momentum going for their team as they face another road test against Kentucky on Feb. 21.