Injury-plagued LSU is still looking to find its rhythm in the 2023 season. Numerous athletes stepped into new lineups on Monday to deliver the Tigers a season high at home against Oklahoma. That meet was promising, and it certainly invigorated a team that sorely needed some good news. However, it was also a chaotically scored affair that may or may not have fairly represented where this team is right now. Given that this is a conference dual at home against a high-profile opponent, expect more of the same from the judges.
Missouri has had a promising start to its 2023 season and looks prepared to play with the big kids once more. However, vault is a substantial weakness for this squad. Amari Celestine’s return will help; she was spotted training bars recently, so we can hope that her return to lineups is just around the corner,
Rotation 1: LSU VT, Mizzou UB
Arenas (LSU): FTY, high and straight with leg sep, landed a little on her heels with a quick hop back. 9.825
Schreiber (Miz): Maloney with a little leg sep to bail, shy on a high bar handstand, double layout with a hop in place to salute. 9.825
Shchennikova (LSU): One and a half, clean, big step forward. Not super controlled but last time I watched her vault she sat so, good job! 9.875
Lawrence (Miz): Maloney to Pak, nice, SLIGHTLY chaotic half turn on the low bar, blind to double front with legs TOGETHER be still my heart, little step forward. 9.85
Brock (LSU): Great one and a half, pace forward, ponytail is fully over her head and dangling in her eyes which is relatable to me.1
Celestine (Miz): Maloney with slightly soft knees on the backswing, Pak a little whippy as usual, adjustment on the low bar, toe on pike 1/2 stuck. Nice.
Johnson (LSU): Great FTY, just a tiny scoot back. Foot on the line as she lands. 9.9 yup yup.
Sheremeta (Miz): Blind to Jaeger to overshoot, I think the blind might have been a LITTLE late, blind to Rudi and… I think that was stuck, her feet were a little obscured. On replay there was a 1cm shuffle of her left foot. 9.85
Finnegan (LSU): Omelianchik, grinning before she lands, quick step forward. 9.85
Moore (Miz): Toe on to Tkachev to overshoot, some toe point issues throughout but gunning for the handstands, FTDB with a tiny scoot back.
Bryant (LSU): Front pike 1/2, foot movement will probably be called pulling heels together even though I think there was a LITTLE backward movement. 10
Hu (Miz): Church, badly mistimes her Pak, bails out and falls. Blind full double back stuck.
After 1: LSU 49.475, Mizzou 49.250
Great start! Pity for Helen Hu, that was a good opportunity to get a big score, but not the end of the world. Great to see Celestine back!
Rotation 2: Mizzou VT, LSU UB
Lawrence (Miz): Some hip angle and a big hop back on FTY. 9.75
Jeffrey (LSU): Maloney to Pak with a little leg sep, half in half out is CLEAN and stuck. Great start.
McCrary (Miz): Piked down FTY, pace back. 9.775
Arenas (LSU): Tkachev to Pak, messy, aggressive half turn on the low bar, making the handstands, DLO a little low with a small hop back. 9.85
Schreiber (Miz): FTY, a little deep and a big hop back.
Tatum (LSU): Shy on the first handstand, Ray with flexed feet to Pak, feet really visible throughout here, FTDB and legs come apart hard at the end but stuck. 9.9 ok
Davis (Miz): Really solid one and a half, small step back. 9.825
Finnegan (LSU): Piked Deptchev, good, arched a handstand, toe on to bail a little soft, double arabian stuck or pretty close to. 9.85
Celestine (Miz): Balks on her first attempt. Awkward, is she guarding one ankle? One and a half, off center with a step forward but great to get a score on the board.
Shchennikova (LSU): Ray with flexed feet, good Pak. Soft back on the low bar, shy on a cast handst and, DLO shapey as usual with a step forward. 9.775
Moore (Miz): One and a half, so high, not controlled but tries to fake-stick and salute really fast. 9.875
Bryant (LSU): Blind to Jaeger, turnover not great, some foot form, blind to double front half stuck. 9.9
After 2: LSU 98.900, Missouri 98.300
Missouri has the harder events out of the way, while LSU has pretty much redlined this whole meet. Judges a little happy but so far no absolute travesties.
Rotation 3: LSU BB, Mizzou FX
Rivers (LSU): BHS LOSO, right foot was almost fully off the beam, keeps it to a smallish check, switch straddle quarter and off. Double full stuck. 9.175
Schreiber (Miz): Rudi to back layout to split, good. Front lay front full SO AIRY. Switch half split full, not the greatest extension but probably fine. 9.85
Shchennikova (LSU): Full turn, check. Front aerial, check, BHS BHS, way off but saves it. Switch split, extension and feet poor, side aerial, check. BHS gainer full, stuck. 9.7, I’m not sure she should have gotten credit for that acro series.
Kratzer (Miz): Double back, overrotated with a scoot back. Switch side Popa solid, good combo pass, nailed the double pike to close. 9.85
Ballard (LSU): BHS LOSO, soft knees and a little adjustment. Full turn, check. Split switch half solid, kickover front with a big check, one and a half twist solid. 9.65
Sheremeta (Miz): Front double full, great control. Switch side Popa with nice extension and precise rotation. Rudi LOSO, solid. One and a half front tuck, I don’t think that’s her usual composition. 9.825 is lower than I expected, wonder what the story was with that last pass change.
Arenas (LSU): Switch split OK, BHS LOSO with a smidge of form and a little off line. Kickover front. One and a half twist, little stumble back. 9.75
McCrary (Miz): Front lay to Rudi, a little overrotated with a shuffle, double pike was also overcooked. 9.825
Bryant (LSU): Front aerial BHS, switch straddle quarter, full turn, punch front a little unsteady but no biggie. Orphan split jump. This is big so far. Punch Rudi, her feet were off screen but probably stuck. 9.9
Moore (Miz): DLO, heel close to the line and slightly awkward step out. Switch half Popa Popa is great, high and clean. Front through double pike, overrotated and rebounds back but avoids extra steps. 9.85
Finnegan (LSU): BHS LOSO LOSO steady, switch split with the back leg maybe a little low, front aerial clean. Drilled the gainer full. 9.95
Celestine (Miz): Full in, a smidge overrotated but minimal drama with foot movements. One and a half front lay is good. Great double back.
After 3: LSU 147.850, Missouri 147.575
Shaky beam rotation for LSU, Mizzou could have done more to keep andings under control and get the score closer than it is.
Rotation 4: Mizzou BB, LSU FX
Lawrence (Miz): Switch to split, steady, full turn with a little adjustment. Side aerial BHS, just a little foot adjustment. Front aerial, one-and-a-half twist stuck-ish. 9.75… it wasn’t perfect by any means, but compared to the LSU rotation that’s harsh.
Ballard (LSU): Really great double layout. One and a half front lay to stag, switch ring switch half… positions are OK, not perfect. Double pike comes in with a lot of momentum but keeps the front foot down. 9.85
Schaffer (Miz): Full turn steady, BHS BHS LOSO with a little bit of leg form. Front aerial, big break. Switch to split, one and a half twist with a step back. Hoping to drop that one. 9.575
Shchennikova (LSU): Front double full, just a little awkward on the arabesque out. One and a half front lay nice and airy, switch switch ring half is ROUGH on the position. Rudi to split is good. 9.875
Davis (Miz): Full turn, BHS LOSO, small check. Switch… bails out of the connection. Split BHS gainer full with a hop. 9.6
Brock (LSU): I hate this string cover of Seven Nation Army. There’s nothing wrong with the normal instrumental! Double pike, two steps back and OOB. Underrotated double tuck with a step forward. Front lay front full, nice and clean. 9.7 hahaha
Sheremeta (Miz): Orphan beat jump, BHS LOSO, switch to Shushunova, gainer tuck full stuck. Nice one. 9.85
Johnson (LSU): Full in, two small steps back because if she lunged she would have gone OOB. One and a half front full solid, nice double back. 9.925, first pass alone was a tenth at LEAST soooo
Hu (Miz): Has been stewing on her bars fall for an hour. Y turn lovely. Front aerial to Liukin is immaculate WOW. Beat to split 3/4, little adjustment. BHS gainer full drilled. NICE.
Finnegan (LSU): Double Arabian, opened up too early and sat it. Two and a half front tuck is nice, switch tour jete half. One and a half front lay, solid.
Schreiber (Miz): BHS LOSO LOSO, nailed. Switch half, tiny adjustment, beat to split 3/4 with a big check. Beat to gainer full. 9.825 cute.
Bryant (LSU): Double front, overrotated with a big step forward. Front lay to Rudi, switch ring with ZERO head release to switch half, front double full.
FINAL: LSU 197.100, Missouri 196.525
Mizzou has to feel like this was a bit of a missed opportunity. LSU opened the door on beam, but Missouri gave up enough on its own in the last two rotations to never really have a chance.
VT: Haleigh Bryant 10.000
UB: Alexis Jeffrey 9.925
BB: Aleah Finnegan 9.950
FX: KJ Johnson 9.925
AA: Haleigh Bryant 39.700
READ THIS NEXT: Climbing Through Adversity Brings No. 13 LSU to a Season High in Loss vs. No. 1 Oklahoma
Live blog by Rebecca Scally
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