Returning home after two weeks on the road, the now No. 4 LSU gymnastics team is set to face unranked Kentucky under the lights of the PMAC.
While recent losses for both teams have plagued the mentalities of onlookers, it’s clear that both the Tigers and Wildcats will be on the hunt for their first duel-meet win of the season.
“Our main approach is just moving on,” said sophomore Lexi Zeiss when asked about LSU’s loss to Georgia. “We addressed what we needed to address in a team meeting.”
Similar to LSU, Kentucky has had a particularly rough start to the season, entering its third meet with a 0-4 record.
Finishing in last place during the Sprouts Collegiate Quad, the Wildcats earned an overall score of 194.925, taking the biggest hits on the bar and floor rotations. Compared to the Tigers’ final score of 197.500 in the quad, a deficit of 2.575 has given Louisiana the benefit of the doubt as the weekend approaches.
This gap solidified following week three of the season. Though LSU had an unfortunate loss against Georgia, it still finished with a solid final score of 197.200 to carry a 2.875 point deficit over the final score of Kentucky’s faceoff against the Sun Devils at Arizona State.
One of the biggest questions heading into Friday night asks where LSU can capitalize on the Wildcats. The inconsistency shown by Kentucky on beam and bars against ASU gives reason to believe that these rotations will be where the Tigers can gain a competitive edge.
“Have got to get Alexis Jeffery back out there [on bars],” said head coach Jay Clark when asked about possible lineup changes in front of a home crowd. “Shes ready to go, or pretty darn close.”
The dominance that LSU has shown on beam and bars has far outweighed that of the Wildcats, but as a team on the prowl for its first win, possible lineup changes won’t make the victory guaranteed for the Tigers.
“Hailey Mustari has one of the most beautiful bar routines in the gym; we’d like to get her in, but she’s got to be more consistent in training,” Clark said. “If she does that, you’ll see her in on bars too.”
Another factor favoring the Tigers ahead of Friday is their recent history against Kentucky. LSU has won every meeting since the 2023 SEC Championships, and based on how both teams currently look, there’s little to suggest that trend is about to change.
The Wildcats have failed to see a final score above 195.000 so far this season, and the Tigers have yet to score below a 196.000.
“We’ve gone high 196.000’s around here for several years and not missed a beat,” Clark said. “It just so happened that we were on the road against a good team; we just slipped up too much.”
Without a concern about scoring, the sedulous Tigers look towards a Friday night win earned through satisfactory performances rather than just the numbers on the scoreboard.
“It’s early and just growth at this point,” Zeiss said. “Focusing on ourselves and not focusing on others or what the scores are.”
After facing early-season meets that were defined by sloppy landings and small deductions, the return of the Baton Rouge team to the PMAC is setting the stage to shut down a Kentucky team on the hunt for redemption.
