The No. 14 LSU gymnastics team(4-3) is coming off a hard loss against No. 3 Alabama, and this weekend’s meet does not make things any easier on the Tigers. They travel to Lincoln, Neb., to compete in the Master’s Classic against No. 18 Kent State (6-5), No. 12 Washington (6-3) and tournament host No. 5 Nebraska (11-1).
“We get an opportunity to see some teams we never see and also Nebraska, who I think is one of the best team’s in the country,” said LSU head coach D-D Breaux.
Kent State took its first conference loss against Central Michigan last week as four of its six performers fell on the beam.
The Washington Huskies come into the meet with some momentum after upsetting No. 8 Stanford last weekend.
Nebraska has captured the Master’s Classic title the past eight years and has not been defeated in its home arena since 1993, winning 47 straight meets.
The 2003 NCAA gymnastics national championship will be held at Nebraska’s Bob Devany Sports Center. So once again, the Tigers will get a look at a potential postseason venue.
Last week the Tigers had to count four falls leading to a score of 193.800. Nebraska has scored above 196 its past six matches, so LSU will need to improve their score to win.
“I think the debacle at Alabama was a real learning thing for them,” Breaux said.
The Tigers feel the loss at Alabama helped them grow together as a team while giving them the experience of a high-pressure meet that many had not before.
“I think we learned a lesson at Alabama, and that will help us grow as a team,” said sophomore Katherine Hilton. “Today in the gym the whole atmosphere is totally different. Before Alabama we weren’t mentally there.”
Breaux believes the team needs time and more road experiences in order for them to compete confidently and successfully in any situation.
“To be our best we’re going to have to be patient and take our lumps,” Breaux said. “I think they’re going to mature and come together as a very strong team in the end [regional and national tournaments].”
The gymnastics team took a couple days off practice during the week for individual meetings and rest. The gymnasts say this week’s practice went well and they are feeling good about the meet.
“I feel confident going into this weekend,” said sophomore Jade Jenkins. “It’s a chance to redeem ourselves and show that we’re better than we’ve been performing.”
Freshman April Burkholder will not be competing as an all-around performer, but she may perform on the uneven bars. Breaux said she was not sure who will be competing in Burkholder’s place, but she felt good with the talent level of the group she used last week despite having to count four falls.
“If we go back to the same group and put pressure on them, it may be a good idea,” Breaux said.
Jenkins believes the team is capable of performing at a high level and said they practice well. It is just a matter of performing in the meets like they practice.
“I think we just need to do what we’ve been doing in the gym everyday and carry that over to the meet,” Jenkins said.