BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The outcome of Semifinal 1 of the NCAA Championships was exactly what the LSU gymnastics squad had hoped for. Pitted against five of the nation’s top squads, the Tigers were able to prevail through the semifinal round and secure a spot in the NCAA Super Six Finals.
But how the third-seeded Tigers reached their objective wasn’t the way LSU coach D-D Breaux particularly had in mind.
“I think LSU was the tightest it’s been all season long,” Breaux said. “I think they were feeling the emotion and pressure of having to get to the next night.”
Coupled with the pleasure of advancing to the championship round was the glaring realization that the Tigers simply weren’t themselves during their second competition inside the BJCC Arena, a venue they’ve had difficulty performing in this season.
“I would say we had technical problems if we were to have some falls, but we didn’t have falls, we had mental lapses,” Breaux said. “We had kids that were looking beyond what they were suppose to. That is not staying in the process.”
Amid a slew of minor mishaps that greatly added together in the end, LSU posted a subpar 197.100, the squad’s second lowest output of the season.
Fortunately for the Tigers, their score was good enough for a third-place finish in Friday’s opening semifinal session, ensuring them one final opportunity to compete for the national title Saturday.
The big winner of the competition was No. 2 Oklahoma, which scored a 197.500 en route to a first-place finish and a spot in Saturday’s championship meet. No. 6 Georgia also advanced to the Super Six by scoring a 197.300 to finish behind the Sooners. 
Junior Rheagan Courville, who finished second in the all-around, said the pressure of competing for a spot in the championship round was perhaps the catalyst behind the team’s substandard performance.
“I think we just let the nerves and the environment get to us,” Courville said. “But we did what we needed to do, and I really think we have a lot left in us.”
The jitters were evident near the end of the Tigers’ first event.
After sitting through the first rotation on a bye, LSU began its afternoon on the floor exercise. Sophomore Jessica Savona led the charge for the squad with a season-high tying 9.925, and freshman Ashleigh Gnat delivered a 9.900.
But LSU failed to collect the typical high-scoring routines from the second half of its lineup, which was a familiar theme for the squad throughout the competition.
LSU’s biggest shock on floor came from junior Lloimincia Hall. The First-Team All-American and YouTube sensation appeared to have at least a 9.900 all but secured through most of her routine. But Hall couldn’t nail the landing on her final floor pass, and the judges responded with a 9.850, her lowest score since the Tigers’ season opener.  
Of the four anchors for LSU, only Courville recorded a score of at least 9.900. 
After compiling a 49.350 on floor, the Tigers headed to vault. Gnat and Courville both scored 9.900s, but the squad couldn’t find its rhythm in what’s been their strongest event all season.
Though LSU’s score of 49.350 on vault tied Georgia for the highest of the competition, it was the squad’s lowest in the event all season.
Altogether, the Tigers registered a 98.700 after their strongest two events before they headed to their second bye in the fourth rotation.
After the bye, LSU went to the uneven bars, where senior all-arounder Kaleigh Dickson fought through her foot injury to leadoff LSU with a solid 9.850.
But middle of the bars lineup couldn’t carry the early momentum Dickson created, and Courville’s 9.900 and senior Sarie Morrison’s 9.850 at the end could only help the squad end with a 49.225, the second lowest bars score of the meet.
Yet despite LSU’s lower-than-usual scores, the squad still had a chance to win the meet in the sixth and final rotation. Oklahoma opened the door for the Tigers to claw their way back to the top by scoring a 49.250 on bars, its lowest score of the meet.
After a pair of 9.800s to start off the balance beam, freshman Sydney Ewing registered a stellar 9.900, and it seemed the Tigers would be able to narrow the gap as their strongest beam performers waited in the wings.
But once again, LSU couldn’t sustain the momentum it created heading to the strength of its lineup, and the night ended with junior all-around Jessie Jordan, a First-Team All-American on beam, scoring a 9.750 in the anchor spot.
Despite the Tigers’ off-target performance, the squad’s third-place finish was all it needed to advance to the Super Six on Saturday, and Jordan was relieved their season still has a chance to end the way they’ve dreamed it would.
“Today was a little disappointing because it wasn’t our best and it wasn’t our normal stuff, but that’s okay because we still have another day and one more competition,” Jordan said.