LIVE BLOG: No. 4 LSU at No. 17 Auburn

Event Coverage, NCAA WAG
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Auburn will be looking for revenge in its home opener after a challenging floor rotation and some early season nerves kept its score below 195.000 last week. Auburn’s pre-meet press release gives a few encouraging tidbits about the Tigers’ plan for week two, including the fact that freshman Derrian Gobourne will add beam to make her all around debut. Tiger fans will also be happy to hear that despite worrying landings on floor last week, both Gracie Day and Skyler Sheppard are expected to compete.

LSU had a fairly good start by most standards, but it won’t be thrilled with last week’s home meet performance in which it turned in its first sub-197.000 performance in almost three years after counting a fall on vault. There’s no reason to expect LSU won’t return to its usual form this week (both Yurchenko one and a half errors last week were by gymnasts who have sat their vaults before, so it’s likely just bad luck that the mistakes came on the same day this time) but we’ll keep an eye out for drama just in case.

Sling is confusing me, I’m not certain if this is starting yet? We’re still in UF awards. (Looks like a great meet. I had to work because IT WAS AT FOUR O CLOCK IN THE AFTERNOON AND SOME OF US HAVE JOBS #westcoastresentment)

ROTATION 1: AUBURN VAULT, LSU BARS

It took me a while to find a stream because Sling was fritzing out of me. I saw an okay hit from Durante.

DAY – AUB: Yurchenko one and a half, the girl holding the mat is RIGHT in front of the landing… great landing with a step forward but it’s off to one side quite severely.

DEAN – LSU: Missing all her handstands, Ray is a little heavy but solid with some feet. Bail is short, double layout with a couple steps back and some Meraz-esque legs.

PHILLIPS – AUB: Beautiful full, huge and airy. A tiny bit of pike at the end and a hop back.

HARROLD – LSU: Zuchold… soft elbows and some leg split when she catches it. Short on a handstand on HB. STREAM CUTS OUT. Comes back in, apparently she’d be deducted for… something.

GOBOURNE – AUB: One and a half, gorgeous and STUCK WHAAAAT. ASac says “That was MONEY” and it so was.

EDNEY – LSU: Hindorff with the usual one flexed foot, good bail, maybe a breath short on some of these, double layout stuck and pulls her heels in. Best yet by FAR.

WATSON – AUB: Another one and a half, stupidly powerful but slightly piked in the air with a hop.

PRIESSMAN – LSU: Ray to Pak solid, wild on the half turn on the low bar, double lay with the usual straddle and a hop to my eye but Alicia disagrees.

GLENN – AUB: One and a half, a touch underrotated with a side step.

FINNEGAN – LSU: Ray a touch wonky, toe on to bail to toe shoot really nice, a breath short on a handstand there, double layout back on her heels and she’s pretending she stuck it but she stepped out to salute too quickly.

LSU 49.350 – AUBURN 49.125

Solid start for both Tigers with room to grow. LSU was let down a touch by the form of the top half of its lineup, while Auburn is still getting the feel of those landings on vault but it should be really happy with getting all of those one and a halfs to its feet.

ROTATION 2: LSU VAULT, AUBURN BARS

I really like Auburn’s lineup graphic, guys. Minimalist. It works.

CANNAMELA – LSU: Clean Y full with a hop back. Not massive amplitude but nice technique.

WATSON – AUB: Ray,really nice! Toe on to bail is great. Great handstands, full out dismount stuck!! Maybe a leg flicker in that dismount but everyone does. That was better than any of the LSU routines to my eye.

HARROLD – LSU: Twisting on the table on her one and a half but she gets it to her feet this time. Looks like she landed it a little lock legged… chest goes forward and a step but not a disaster.

KRIPPNER – AUB: Maloney is okay, touch of leg sep, to good bail. Full in dismount is GORGEOUS, legs glued together and stuck dead, just a touch close to the bar.

PRIESSMAN – LSU: Yurchenko full is wiiild on the table, leg sep and bent legs, but lands it fairly well. Small hop back. It’s good to see her here.

GOBOURNE – AUB: Half turn to huge Tkachev to Pak, just a little feet on the Tkachev, full in dismount is big with the tiiiiniest heel slide. Auburn is on fire.

EDWARDS – LSU: One and a half, huge and soooo beautiful. Big bound forward.

The scores are so close here. There’s half a tenth in it right now. Auburn is just right on the landings.

CERIO – AUB: Clear hip blind to pike Jaeger is stunningggg, great bail, blind full to double back… borderline on whether she stuck it. One toe shifted basically. I’ll give that to her.

The crowd is getting into this because it’s INTENSE.

FINNEGAN – LSU: Full is big and beautiful, another pretend stick and step to salute. It’s just gorgeous.

Okay yeah, from the side angle she was falling backwards in her salute haha.

MILLIET – AUB: Toe on to Ray, got the golden combination of height and turnover. Pak is stunning, sole circle, blind full double back and ANOTHER STICK HOLY AUBURN.

EDNEY – LSU: One and a half, stuc… oh NO. She was so close and had to step forward. Really good vault either way, just teasing us with the landing there.

DAY – AUB: Oh please crack 9.9 finally. They deserve this. Toe to toe blind to Jaeger to overshoot. Her toes are just absurd. Double arabian with a step back but even the step was pretty.

AUBURN 98.650 – LSU 98.500

Oh heyyyy Auburn.

I’m just going to embed a couple of tweets about how RIDIC that bars rotation was.

Anyway.

ROTATION 3: AUBURN BEAM, LSU FLOOR

This is when LSU pulls away in any version of this story I can imagine. If things are still tight at the end of this rotation then Auburn could definitely do it. McKenna Kelley looks like she’s in a touch of pain after landing just a timer pass on floor… not the Achilles again but looks like a question of her ankle.

With all that I basically missed Drew Watson on beam but she hit.

Okay, we’re hearing that Kelley will be pulled from floor, with Ferrer going in in her place.

HARROLD – LSU: Two and a half twist with a cross step. I really like this choreography. Double pike with a bit of a skid from her front foot, one and a half front lay great.

GOBOURNE – AUB: Collegiate debut on this event. Flic layout and really shows off the landing. She’s got a lot of presence here, very emphatic arms and hands. Cat leap side aerial, maybe a touch of knees, switch to straddle 1/4 really nice. Rocking it so far. Double full with helicopter legs and just a tiny side step.

CAMPBELL – LSU: Two and a half twist and slightly surprised by the landing, awkward shuffle. Double back is open and gorgeous. Switch half to Popa great. One and a half front lay and basically sticks it. Love that routine.

KRIPPNER – AUB: Cat leap front aerial bhs, beautiful and creative. Full turn. Auburn has such great finishes on this event. Switch to split to split 3/4 and hops off 🙁 One and a half twist with a hop.

That’s tough. The Tigers were really hoping to be able to drop Watson’s score from the lead.

EDWARDS – LSU: Front double twist, bit of a stumble. Her floor music is QUITE something. Double back with a textbook landing. Switch side Popa… changes direction she turns in the middle, that’s funky. (You can tell I don’t watch much SEC because all of this is brand new to me.) Front full front tuck and bounds forward. That was supposed to be a layout, whoopsie.

MILLIET – AUB: Front tuck nailed. God I feel sick just thinking about trying to mount with that directly after a fall. Flic loso perfect, walkover choreo is so beautiful. Split to sheep, couldn’t see from this angle whether it was any good. Cat leap gainer full, stuck. That’s what you need thank you very much.

ASac made a comment about how those punch front mounts are really hard, and now my Team China superfan boyfriend will be talking trash about the 08 team final for a straight week again. It’s never too late to bring it back.

Kelley’s sitting on the sidelines icing. This is probably a one time thing. Fingers crossed for her.

FERRER – LSU: Apparently she just went to her very first CLASS ever this week because she’s always been homeschooled. Double arabian ouchie. Very deep and OOB there, stopped just short of sitting it. Double pike way undercooked and a stepped forward. Switch half Popa is low and under on positions.

This is a really rough way to make your college debut, underprepared and with minimal warning.

One and a half punch front, that was probably also supposed to be a layout.

SHEPPARD – AUB: Something to prove after her floor nightmare last week. Floats her flic layout, Alicia is in love. Hitch kick side aerial great. Cat leap switch side, a little hitch in the air on that leap. One and a quarter turn, does a pretty solid job pretending that’s what she was supposed to have done, bhs one and a half with a hop forward.

FINNEGAN – LSU: Time to get this back on track. One and a half thru two and a half with a quick step forward. So nice. Double back also great. Requirement punch front. Switch ring switch half gorgeous. Double pike and lunges forward but the rest was exquisite.

SYLVIA – AUB: Front aerial to Rulfova, a little crooked but gets it. I lost the middle of that routine to the stream gods. Just a little step back on her gainer full dismount.

EDNEY – LSU: Double arabian, stumbles a little bit out of it but stays on top of it. Wonky landing on the second pass too, LSU just isn’t feeling the floor today. If this carries on through beam it could be a problem. Super deep on her closing double back and a big step back to save herself from just rolling back.

AUBURN 147.525 – LSU 147.525

YOU GUYS THIS IS HAPPENING.

Auburn did pretty much what we expected from Auburn on beam, but LSU just couldn’t get its landings where they needed to be to take advantage. So fascinated to see where this goes. Auburn needs to stay cool but it could 1000% win from here.

ROTATION 4: LSU BEAM, AUBURN FLOOR

DESIDERIO – LSU: Front aerial to split, flic layout and she’s OFF. Full turn is okay, split switch half to beat. Missed the rest out of EMOTIONAL DURESS.

SMITH – AUBURN: Double pike really good. One and a half front lay, a touch of leg form. This routine is really fun. Switch side to Popa is great. Double back, chest down with a baby rebound but works through it.

DEAN – LSU: Side aerial LOSO, switch split split 1/4 was rocky, slow connection and short on splits, Front aerial feels short but works through it. Side aerial back full with a step.

Not freaking bad for her second beam performance in college directly following a fall.

SHEPPARD – AUBURN: Serious gut check here. TRIPLE FULL ON HER FEET. All the way around. Good for her. Switch side to Popa, little bounce. One and a half front lay, tiny bit underrotated and bounces back but she’s through clean!!

Just thrilled for her.

DURANTE – LSU: Aerial series clean. Flic loso, check… and arrests it with her arms. That had the potential to be really bad. Switch split, maybe a breath short of split, side aerial back full and I think she missed her foot on the takeoff but pulls it out. Good one!

CERIO – AUB: Double pike, big rebound back out of bounds. That sucks. This’ll need to be the drop score if Auburn wants the meet. Front full front lay rocking, really quality choreography too. Switch side Popa, maybe underrotated? I don’t think that’s a real deduction in NCAA though. Rudi, landing position is a little wonky but lunges out fine. Good finish.

EDNEY – LSU: Front aerial to split, touch of feet. Flic layout with an arm swing back. Switch, way short of split, checks, to split to straddle 1/4. Full turn is good, pike kickover rock solid. One and a half dismount gorg with a step forward.

GOBOURNE – AUB: Double back,, massive and hop to lunge. Leap series is a little sketchy. Front full front lay is beautiful. She’s a rockstar dancer too. She’s got the crown choreo bit that everyone and their mom is doing this season. Double pike great and the crowd is freaking out.

CAMPBELL – LSU: Flic layout great, full turn a little wonky, switch leap switch 1/2 almost looks underrotated…? ASac things it could get discredited, I would be shocked. Double full dsmt with a hop back.

WATSON – AUB: Apparently struggled with her opening pass in warmups. Double pike, underrotated with a step forward. Double back great. Switch side to Popa is beautiful. One and a half front lay, I didn’t think she’d make it after a slightly iffy punch but she did.

FINNEGAN – LSU: If she’s perfect I think LSU could still squeak this. I haven’t  done the math though. Flic loso, wonky in the air with a check. Okay, I think it’s over for LSU. Side somi, side aerial back full stuck.

Auburn has WON THIS MEET.

MILLIET – AUB: I missed the first pass trying to do math but nothing bad has happened. Double pike, a little deep into her step but it’s a tiny thing. One and a half front layout airy and gorgeous.

AUBUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURN

FINAL: AUBURN 196.700 – LSU 196.625

Live blog by Rebecca Scally

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