It was a Tiger versus Tiger catfight that battled down to the last routine of the night when No. 2 LSU gymnastics found itself in Columbia, Missouri, against No. 7 Mizzou.
With a final score of 197.675-197.500, LSU’s dominant performances on floor were the difference maker in this matchup. It finally found a rhythm after early struggles in the event this season.
The Tigers began on their strongest event, looking towards Lexi Zeiss once again for the leadoff uneven bar routine. Despite being on enemy turf, Zeiss put up a 9.800 to start the purple and gold Tigers off strong.
Trailing behind Zeiss with her return to the bar lineup after a week off from competition was junior transfer Madison Ulrich, who earned a score of 9.925, one of the highest for the rotation.
Among the biggest names in the Baton Rouge bar rotation tonight was freshman Haley Mustari, who made her collegiate debut. Though competing in the lineup for the first time, a 9.900 from Mustari helped to keep the Tigers in the lead.
Rounding out the first rotation for the Bayou Bengals were familiar faces Courtney Blackson and Konnor McClain, who earned a 9.925 and 9.825, respectively. They helped ease LSU into the second rotation with a 0.100 lead over Mizzou.
As Zeiss prepared to lead the Bengals down the runway, the sophomore added to her event average with a score of 9.775. That was shortly followed by a 9.825 from McClain, LSU, before turning heads for Blackson’s vault return.
Competing a Yurchenko one and a half, the Boise State transfer earned a 9.900 to finish her night. As the scores started to build, a season-high 9.950 from Amari Drayton found its way into the vault total for LSU.
Kailin Chio, the 2025 NCAA Vault Champion, anchored the lineup, redeeming herself with a stuck landing and a 9.950 to match her season-high from Kentucky.
Entering the halfway point of the meet in the lead 98.800-98.625, the Baton Rouge Tigers rallied their energy over to the mat as they took on the floor exercise.
Looking to improve the team’s ranking on the floor, senior Emily Innes led off LSU with a 9.850. Freshman Nina Ballou followed with a 9.900, matching her season high from her competition against the Wildcats.
It was only up from there as Kylie Coen followed with a matching 9.900, topping her season high of 9.825 on the event.
After finishing a pass with a faulty landing, Drayton stepped out of bounds, requiring a mandatory tenth of a deduction from her score. The judges took longer than usual to award Drayton’s score, handing out Chio’s 9.950 and Kaliya Lincoln’s 9.925 before they finally landed on a 9.775 for the junior.
With Drayton’s score being the lowest on the event, it was, of course, not factored into the event’s composite value. The team’s total score on the event landed at 49.550.
This set LSU ahead of the competition by three-tenths as it prowled into the fourth and final rotation on the balance beam. While the competition was becoming close, the crown was still up for grabs as the two sets of Tigers fought to the very end of tonight’s meet.
Coen led off on beam with a 9.850 as Zeiss followed with a 9.825. Drayton came to the rescue with 9.925, matching her season high.
Lincoln fell short with a 9.750, and McClain couldn’t execute with a disappointing 9.550, cornering the team to count Lincoln’s low score.
Following McClain’s season low score on the balance beam, it all came down to Chio in order for LSU to secure the win. She needed a 9.900 in order to take the adversary Tigers down, and having recently earned a perfect 10 on the event, she easily stuck 9.975 for her team.
With Chio’s score leading the event, LSU sank its claws into Mizzou with a 0.175 lead over the black and gold Tigers, marking its territory as it collected its first road win of the season.
The Baton Rouge team returns home next Friday for yet another catfight against the Lions of Penn State.
