Well, the hits just keep coming for LSU: Sophomore KJ Johnson is out indefinitely after breaking her foot while celebrating the team’s upset victory over Florida and Alyona Shchennikova may or may not be competing tonight due to a groin injury. The advantage is definitely Alabama’s, but LSU has proven its ability to defy the odds this season.
A fun added layer of pressure, there are actual stakes involved in the outcome of this meet. Both teams have sub-197 scores to drop now that NQS has kicked in and—with Kentucky, Missouri and (surprisingly) Georgia surging—only a handful of meets left to replace them.
Team performances aside, LSU sophomore Aleah Finnegan is one bars 10 away from completing a Gym Slam when less than a month ago, she had zero career 10s. It’s a tall order, but certainly something fun to watch for!
You can watch along on SECN+ and find live scores here.
Bama debuting a fabulous new houndstooth leo:
Looks like we might see Livvy Dunne in action tonight?
Kiana Watson on the call! I literally don’t care what happens during the actual meet.
Rotation One: Alabma vault, LSU bars
Doggette (Bama): Very pretty Y 1.5, went more up than out and so had to take a tiny hop back. 9.850
Jeffrey (LSU): Pretty first handstand. Minimal leg sep on her Maloney to Pak, slightly close on the catch. Super high FTDT with a touch of foot form and a definitive stick. 9.800
Hudson (Bama): Almost missed the springboard and so had a funky block on her Y 1.5. Landed super deep and staggered off to the side. 9.600
Dunne (LSU): Gorgeous Tkachev to Pak. A little wobbly on her half pirouette. Big DLO with questionable form and shape, but another stick. 9.825
Olsen (Bama): Really well done Y double full with a negligible foot shuffle. She twists SO fast. 9.900
Tatum (LSU): Shy first handstand to Ray to Pak, no major issues but a slight looseness throughout. High FTDT with some foot form and a small hop.
Paradise (Bama): Strong Y 1.5 with good height but not a ton of distance. Slight softness in her knees and a big hop forward and to the side. 9.850 is high.
Finnegan (LSU): OK, here we go! Fabulous first handstand to a lovely Deltchev. Almost overcooked her handstand but reeled it in quickly. Bail, good tension in her core. Overdid the tucked Arabian and did a forward roll out of it. Oh well, can’t say she didn’t go for it! 9.200
Blanco (Bama): A bit crunched on her block, but a beautiful Y 1.5 in the air. Deep landing necessitating a big hop forward. 9.800
Shchennikova (LSU): Short first handstand. Ray had some foot form. Very wonky Pak and rushed pirouette. Short final handstand to her usual non-laid out DLO, stuck up on her toes. 9.750
Gladieux (Bama): WOW! Excellent Y full, phenomenal height and distance, excellent position. Truly miniscule slide back. 9.925 is the absolute correct score for that vault.
Bryant (LSU): Blind change to a pretty straddled Jaeger. Nice, tight bail. Holds the final handstand beautifully. Blind change to tucked half out with the sort of foot flex judges tend to ignore, stuck. Excellent routine! 9.925
AFTER ONE ROTATION: Alabama 49.325, LSU 49.175
Both sides looked a little stiff but overall steady. Too bad about Finnegan’s dismount, because it really was a lovely routine up until that point. Even with her fall, LSU’s gotta be feeling pretty good about that rotation all things considered.
Gladieux’s vault was the highlight of the rotation for me. I know she can do a Y 1.5, but why bother when your full looks like that?
Rotation Two: Alabama bars, LSU vault
Arenas (LSU): Beautifully done Y full, floaty and stuck. Judges might take for a deep landing, but they shouldn’t. That was great. 9.925
Hudson (Bama): Toe hand, good. A little leg sep on both her Maloney and Pak. Pretty loose bail to handstand. Final handstand was shy, but a pretty giant full to double tuck, stuck. 9.775
Shchennikova (LSU): Not gonna lie, I’m nervous for her after that bars routine. Woof… Y 1.5 super underrotated and sits it down. 9.400 is pretty generous
German (Bama): Gorgeous Ricna. Clean Pak, really excellent form. Half pirouette, great. Super deliberate final handstand. DLO a fairly indistinct shape, just a small hop back. 9.775 seems low compared to Hudson’s score.
Brock (LSU): Excellent Y 1.5, plenty of height and distance, tight form throughout. College stick. 9.975 is too high.
Waligora (Bama): First handstand a hair shy. Blind change to a big straddled Jaeger. Bail was a little wobbly. Excellent FTDLO with a college stick. 9.900
Finnegan (LSU): Omelianchik with a medium step forward. 9.900
Machado (Bama): Maloney to Pak with super minor leg sep. VL a little funky in the air. Toe full with some side-to-side action, but a gorgeous stuck double tuck. 9.925 is pretty high
Wilson (LSU): Another excellent Y full! Nearly identical to Arenas’s except her chest was a little lower. Glad to see her back. 9.875
Doggette (Bama): Nice first handstand to a sky-high Tkatchev. Maybe a hair close on her Pak? Maybe not. Fantastic DLO, stuck. 9.950
Bryant (LSU): Textbook fhs pike half, stuck. In replay, you can see the slightest leg sep, but I doubt the judges could see it. Fantastic vault. 10.000
Blanco (Bama): Super close on her Pak and fumbles her kip badly. I’m not sure Quinn didn’t touch her… FTDT was pretty in the air, but she had to take some big bounding steps forward. 9.425
AFTER TWO ROTATIONS: LSU 98.850, Alabama 98.650
Some obvious missteps for both teams, but overall very impressive. LSU did a fantastic job rebounding from Shchennikova’s fall, posting their second-highest score in program history and closing the gap (and then some!).
Rotation Three: Alabama beam, LSU floor
Burgess (Bama): Full turn kicked out with a little hip check. One-armed bhs loso with another minor bobble. Side aerial, good. Switch leap to beat, well done. Cat leap to switch side, nice amplitude. Piked gainer pike off the end, stuck. 9.925 is very high.
Ballard (LSU): Big DLO with a controlled lunge to open. Back 1.5 to front lay, lacked a little control. Switch ring to switch half, hit 180 on both. Held onto her double pike a little late and had to take a big scoot back. Strong lead-off! 9.850
Rybicki (Bama): Bhs loso with some foot form and a minor front foot adjustment. Switch leap to switch side; pretty shy on the latter. Straddle 3/4, very solid. RO back 1.5; not a ton of rise and landed pretty deep but a stick! 9.900… Guess beam scores are just running high.
Jeffrey (LSU): Front tuck through to double tuck with significant foot form and a deep squat on the landing. Switch side half (I think?) to Popa. Falls out of her double wolf turn but covers well. Good double pike to finish, nearly stuck. Solid collegiate FX debut! 9.750
Waligora (Bama): Quick full turn. Bhs super slow to loso with a bobble. Side aerial, rock solid. Split jump to tuck jump full with another hip check. Gorgeous RO back 1.5, stuck. 9.875
Brock (LSU): Lovely double pike, well-controlled. Double tuck with a small slide back. Switch side to Popa, high amplitude and oversplit on both. Back 1.5 to front full. Tiny little stutter step on the full. Great routine! 9.925
Gladieux (Bama): Bhs to back pike, super steady. Full turn, good. Floaty front aerial to beat jump. Switch leap to straddle, perfect position on both. RO double full with some crossed feet and a hop back. Beautiful routine! 9.850 seems incredibly low compared to the previous scores.
Arenas (LSU): Front lay to front double full with soft knees and some landing adjustments. Stream glitched on her leaps, sorry! Front lay to front full with soft knees and a bit of pike and leg sep. 9.825
Hudson (Bama): Front aerial with some foot form. Slightly off and breaks the connection with her back series. Bhs loso also with some form, but super secure. Switch leap series, lovely. Side aerial, good. RO 1.5, college stick. You’ve got to be kidding me… 10.000. Great routine, but not a 10 by any stretch of the imagination.
Finnegan (LSU): Stuck tucked double Arabian, no stag. Back 2.5 to front tuck, lacked control on her landing. Switch ring to split full, OK height and positions on both. Back 1.5 to front lay, a little undercut but plays it off. And a make-up 10 for LSU… Come on, judges.
Blanco (Bama): Straddle mount, lovely. Front aerial, impeccable as usual. Beautiful full turn. Bhs loso with a small hip waver. Switch leap to beat, fabulous. RO 1.5, stuck. Best routine of the rotation (and 100% shouldn’t be a 10). And it is a 10.000. Sure.
Bryant (LSU): Fhs double front; they zoomed out so I couldn’t see the landing. Front lay to Rudi, no problems. Switch ring to switch half, full split but front leg was a hair low on the latter. Fhs front double full with some minor leg sep, dances out of it. Also not a deductionless routine, but I don’t see how you don’t give that a 10 in context… 9.975. I’m done.
AFTER THREE ROTATIONS: LSU 148.425, Alabama 148.350
So scoring has gone off the rails, but at least it’s benefiting both teams? It was a fine rotation for both teams; it was not a multiple 10-worthy rotation for either team. That’s all I have to say about that.
Rotation Four: Alabama floor, LSU beam
Arenas (LSU): Straddle mount, very nice. Switch leap to split jump, back leg low on the latter. Bhs loso with very soft legs on both. Front toss, a little deep but solid. Whips through her full turn. Switch half, super shy of 180. RO back 1.5 went out but not up, so big hop forward. 9.850, which is basically a fall to these judges.
Waligora (Bama): front lay to front double full, good in the air but stumbles out of the landing. Good height on her leaps. Side aerial. Back 1.5 to front lay, minor stutter step out. 9.900
Jeffrey (LSU): Straddle mount, no problem. Wolf full with a little wobble. Cat leap to switch side; her entry is wonky, but hit 180. Bhs loso, good extension on both. Standing front tuck, nicely done. RO 1.5 slightly underrotated with a college stick. 9.900
Olsen (Bama): Piked-full in, chest down, but controlled landing. Switch leap to Gogean, nice position. I never think she has the height to get these skills around and yet she always does! Front tuck through to double tuck with some foot form, slight cowboying, and chest down, but a stick. 9.750
Rivers (LSU): Bhs loso with a stumble going into the bhs and a big hip check on the loso. Easy full turn. Switch half, very shy and a wobble. Switch jump to straddle quarter, nicely done. RO double full, opens early and has to take a step forward. 9.700
Adams (Bama): Fabulous double pike to open. Popa to tuck jump full, awesome. Triple wolf turn, maybe a hair overrotated but plenty of control throughout. Back 1.5 to front lay with a little hop forward. Best routine of the rotation so far. 9.825… OK? I mean, fine, but not compared to the other floor scores we’ve seen.
Ballard (LSU): I love her hop on to sitting mount, lol. Bhs loso, so powerful and aggressive but with good form. Full turn with a minor waiver. Split jump to switch half just a little bit shy. Front toss, great. Crowd’s booing because Adams didn’t get a 10, but she doesn’t care. RO back 1.5, stuck. Best routine of LSU’s rotation now! 9.925
Gladieux (Bama): High half in half out, some form in the air and a step forward. Switch full to Popa you could practically walk under. Front lay to Rudi to split jump, nice control throughout. 9.925
Bryant (LSU): Front aerial to bhs, lovely. Little wobble on her dance. Switch leap to switch side, excellent height and position. Full turn, no problem. Standing front tuck with a little hip check and scoot forward. Punch Rudi, stuck. I’m not even going to try and guess what the score will be. Numbers have lost meaning. 9.900
Hudson (Bama): Front lay to front double full, great control. Switch full to wolf full, big amplitude. Back 2.5, slight leg softness but all the way around. Double tuck with flexed feet and a small scoot back. 9.950
Finnegan (LSU): Candle mount with a half twist, cool. Bhs loso loso, genuinely flawless. Switch leap to split jump with a very slight readjustment. Front aerial, lovely. Side gainer full dismount, stuck. Fantastic! I would say, “Not a 10,” but probably more 10 than any beam routine we’ve seen tonight. 9.975
Blanco (Bama): Double wolf, nicely done. High, tidy double pike. Floats her double tuck, minor front foot slide. Switch ring to switch full (?), gorgeous and beautifully extended. Fhs front full to front lay, no problems. 9.975
FINAL: LSU 197.975, Alabama 197.925
VT: Bryant, 10.000
UB: Makarri Doggette, 9.950
BB: Lilly Hudson, Luisa Blanco, 9.950
FX: Alean Finnegan, 10.000
AA: Haleigh Bryant, 39.800
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Live blog by Claire Billman
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