The moment the LSU gymnastics team has been waiting for all season has finally come.
The No. 3 Tigers (8-1, 4-0 Southeastern Conference) have the chance to show their worth in a top-three showdown with No. 2 Florida (5-1, 4-1 SEC) at 7:30 p.m. tonight at the PMAC.
LSU has faced one other top-three team this season when it posted a 197.425, just short of No. 1 Oklahoma in the Metroplex Challenge on Jan. 31.
“There are six teams that are excellent teams,” said LSU coach D-D Breaux. “Any one of them on any given night can be that great team. We are where we want to be. We are hitting routines, we are able to do numbers in practice, demand a lot of out of kids varying our practice and changing our lineup. That’s where you want to be right now.”
Both teams are ranked in the top six for every event nationally. The Tigers sit sixth on vault, compared to the Gators in third. The two are tied at No. 2 on bars and No. 3 on floor. LSU had an edge as No. 1 on beam in contrast with Florida in fourth.
Both teams boast star- studded lineups. Each has three gymnasts cracking the top-25 national rankings in the all-around.
LSU is carried by senior all-arounders Rheagan Courville, who is third in the nation, Jessie Jordan, who sits in fifth and sophomore all-arounder Ashleigh Gnat at 20th.
Florida counters with three highly ranked gymnasts of its own: senior all-arounder Kytra Hunter at No. 6, freshman all-arounder Ericha Fassbender at No. 12 and freshman all-arounder Kennedy Baker at No. 24.
Florida gained another key piece for tonight. Junior all-arounder Bridget Sloan, who hasn’t competed since the Gators’ season opener, was cleared by team medical personnel and will compete on bars.
But LSU also get one of its key performers back. After missing the Tigers’ meet against Georgia on Feb. 6 and competing only on bars against Auburn last week, Jordan is set to return to her all-around status against Florida.
“It would mean a whole lot to defeat Florida, and we have the capability of doing it,” Jordan said. “It’s just another stop for our bus on this journey to a national championship. We are setting our own pace and not focusing on what other teams are doing. We’re trying to stay in the process, take each meet one at a time and keep moving forward.”
Breaux said the Tigers truly can count on strong performances from their three all-arounders but also can be confident in performances from the rest of their lineup.
“We like the flexibility that we have been able to have,” Breaux said. “And the notion that we have been able to put someone in the lineup, take someone out and not really feel a difference in what this team can accomplish. Just our ability and our willingness to do that has built some confidence in our depth.”
Tonight’s meet could be the largest crowd in LSU gymnastics history. The reserved seating section was already sold out by Monday.
“I know that I have worked my entire career to begin to see this happen,” Breaux said. “That’s pretty exciting for me because I’m the person that stood in the rain to give out tickets at different venues years ago, and it has never stopped. Our fans have a great appreciation for really good gymnastics.”
You can reach Christian Boutwell on Twitter @CBoutwell_TDR.