It’s senior night in the PMAC, and this one is bound to be electric! Georgia travels to LSU for a pivotal SEC showdown, with championship qualification implications looming large.
Georgia is coming off a nail-biting finish against Kentucky on Sunday and currently sits at No. 6 in the SEC. The GymDogs had several standout performances last weekend and will aim to build on that momentum as the postseason approaches. With impressive 49.4+ totals on beam and floor, tightening up their opening rotations on vault and bars will be key to setting the tone early in the competition.
Meanwhile, emotions will be running high for LSU as 10 seniors take the floor for their final home meet. The Tigers have been adjusting to the loss of Chase Brock in their lineups but have regained Haleigh Bryant in the all-around. Plus, Leah Miller made her collegiate debut last weekend against George Washington, adding another layer of depth. LSU has surpassed the 198 mark three times this season and will be looking to inch closer to reclaiming the No. 1 spot, which Oklahoma has held all year.
I’m secretly hoping for a Sierra Ballard bars debut tonight… Follow along at 8:30 p.m. ET on SECN+!
Rotation 1: VT LSU, UB Georgia
Johnson (LSU): The biggest ever Yurchenko full stuck COLD to start off senior night for the Tigers! 9.850
Howard (UGA): Leading off Georgia tonight, Howard starts with a big Church, misses that first release and has to restart. Remounts and makes the Church this time to her shoot-over but stops and has to get back up to finish the routine with a stuck double back. 8.625.
Finnegan (LSU): Yurchenko 1.5 STUCK. WOW. 9.950!!!
Berry (UGA): Berry has to get this lineup back on track, so a little more pressure especially in this spot. Maloney to the high bar, back down with a Pak, overshoots that pirouette. Misses that last handstand and ends stalder to double tuck and a hop forward. But a made routine to get Georgia back where they need to be. 9.750
Lincoln (LSU): Yurchenko 1.5 medium size rebound on that landing but better control than the previous week for her! 9.800.
Snyder (UGA): Snyder in the third spot opens with a Church to a shoot over, nice. ends stuck full in! Exactly what the Gym Dogs needed! 9.875
Drayton (LSU): Yurchenko 1.5, another STUCK vault for the Tigers!! 9.950!
Wahl (UGA): Maloney to Pak done very nice. Dismounts with a big double layout dismount stuck! Beautiful routine! 9.875
Chio (LSU): Yurchenko 1.5 STUCK. Are you joking. 9.950!!
Scott (UGA): BIG Tkachev right to Pak, perfect. Really great Maloney 1/2 up and a double layout dismount with a small shift on the landing to end a gorgeous routine!
Bryant (LSU): Front pike 1.2, small hop back on the landing but always so beautiful to watch. 9.900
Smith (UGA): Maloney to high bar right to a Pak, STUCK full in dismount! 9.925!
*Bacskay (UGA exhibition) : Pak down to the low beam and a Maloney half back up. A little short on that last handstand and a wiggly blind full to double tuck with just a hop back.
After 1: LSU 49.600, Georgia 49.275
Georgia got off to a rocky start with a fall in its first spot of the lineup, but the remaining five delivered to not have to count a fall to start off the competition and gives Georgia a good score to build on the rest of the meet. LSU had another HUGE vault rotation with three 9.950 scores and four stuck vaults, giving them an event total of a 49.600! This was just the start LSU wanted to start senior night off strong!
Rotation 2: UB LSU, VT Georgia
Scott (UGA): Nice Yurchenko full, smallest little wobble on the landing and has to take a step but a great a vault to start off. 9.750.
Zeiss (LSU): Maloney up to the high bar, right to Pak, nice. Back up with a stuck full out dismount! 9.900!
Aquino (UGA): Huge Tsuk layout full with a big hop back but so nice with so much power! 9.850
Cowan (LSU): Big Ray to open, right to a shoot over, perfection. Ends stuck double layout dismount! 9.850.
Bacskay (UGA): Yurchenko 1.5, controlled hop forward on that. 9.825.
Finnegan (LSU): Beautiful piked Delchev, toe handstand to shoot over, really nice. Ends full out with just a small step back on that landing! 9.90!
Wahl (UGA): Yurchenko 1.5 stuck!! 9.90!
Chio (LSU): Maloney to the high bar, shoot over back down, back up to the high bar and a super fun Khorkina so good. Ends full in and is squatty on the landing but holds on to the stick! 9.925!
A. Smith (UGA): Yurchenko 1.5, just a small hop forward on that! 9.850.
McClain (LSU): BIG Church to start down to a Pak, I don’t know how she held onto that without a fall she was so far from the bar on that Pat. But caps it off with stuck full-in! 9.975!
L. Smith (UGA): Yurchenko full smallest hop back, really beautiful! 9.775.
Bryant (LSU): Starts straddle Jaeger, nice. Down with a shoot over and finished blind to double front half out and just a step back! 9.925!
- exhibition Tatum (LSU): Maloney to the high bar, nice right to Pak, struggles on the pirouette but makes it over on the second one. Ends full in dismount with just a step back, but what a great final routine for her in the PMAC! 9.725.
After 2: LSU 99.25, Georgia 98.475
All counting scores so far for LSU have been over that 9.9 mark on both bars and vault, and wow, what another huge rotation for the Tigers. McClain scored the highest of this already high scoring rotation with a 9.975, and a pair of 9.925s from Bryant and Chio. Another 49.6+ score for the Tigers set them up perfectly going into beam and floor in the back half. Another good rotation for Georgia as well! Some of the landings in the beginning of the lineup could have been a bit cleaner to save some tenths, but, the back half of the lineup was pretty much dialed in on these landing, highlighted with a stuck 9.9 vault from Wahl! Here we go for the back half!!
Rotation 3: BB LSU, FX Georgia
Ballard (LSU): Ugh, going to miss her in this spot. Opens BHS LOSO, solid. Full turn, nice. Sissone to switch half, really well done with the rotation. Huge front toss. Dismounts round off double full, just a step forward on that landing. Beautiful lead off routine as always. 9.850.
Williams (UGA): Opens with a nice double pike. Switch half straddle full right in the corner. Front pass was blocked on the stream but announcers said it was good. Ends her routine with a double tuck, stuck and steps into the lunge. Really great routine! 9.850.
Coen (LSU): Front aerial to beat jump really nice. BHS LOSO, perfect. Switch leap to split jump, nice extension. Dismounts with the tiniest scoot on the double full dismount! 9.875.
Fitzgerald (UGA): Rudi to LOSO, good. Switch side to straddle full, nice. Front thru to double tuck, lands really low on that but recovers well. 9.725
Chio (LSU): Mounts the beam with a round off BHS, love. Sets up right away for BHS LOSO perfect. Switch leap to split jump, really nice. Front aerial to split jump, great. Dismounts with a BHS 1.5 STUCK. I have no notes. Like, what!? 9.950!
Bacskay (UGA): First pass a big full in, drops her chest a little on that landing but recovers well. Switch side to straddle full, right to choreo. 2.5 to front, a little under rotated and takes a step back but really nice. 9.875
McClain (LSU): Switch leap to switch half over extended. Front aerial to BHS, really nice. Famous wolf jump. Gainer full stuck off the side! Again, no notes. Like…? Give me a ten!!!! 9.90
Wahl (UGA): Starts off huge full in! Torjete full to wolf full, good.Second pass front through to double tuck and gets her chest right up on that. 9.875
Bryant (LSU): Front aerial BHS, nice. Switch leap to straddle 1/4, just a little adjustment. Standing front tuck, too good. Dismounts front 1.5 stuck!! 9.950!
Aquino (UGA): Huge front through to double tuck, kicks it out and controls that landing so well. Switch half to wolf 1.5, maybe a little lack of rotation. Stuck double pike to close it out! 9.925!
Finnegan (LSU): BHS LOSO LOSO perfect, the best shes done it this year. Switch leap to split jump, really nice. Full turn, good. Front aerial, nice. Dismounts Gainer full of the side and holds onto the landing. AND ITS A TEN FOR THE SENIOR!!!!!!! 10.0!!!!
L. Smith (UGA): Front double full, gorgeous. Back 1.5 to front layout really nice. Switch side to wolf full, great. Ends front rudi to huge straddle jump to end a beautiful routine! 9.975!!
*exhibition King (UGA): Front double full to big front tuck, really nice. Back 1.5 to front layout, nice.
After 3: LSU 148.900, Georgia 147.975
What a rotation for both! A 10.0 for Finnegan in her final beam routine in the PMAC, and another 49.6+ event total for the Tigers. This is set up to be a HUGE score for LSU going into this last, undoubtedly emotional, floor rotation. Georgia scored a season high 49.500 on floor and will be looking to finish strong heading into beam where as a team, this consistency has been growing!
Rotation 4: BB Georgia, FX LSU
Howard (UGA): BHS LOSO, really nice. Switch half, great. Side aerial, maybe a little under rotated. BHS Gainer full stuck off the side! 9.825
Coen (LSU): Front double full, a litte cross over step. Front layout to front full, nice. Great leaps down the side and starts this final rtoation off strong/9.875
Tomlin (UGA); Switch leap to switch side, nice. BHS BHS LOSO, perfect. Round off 1.5 small hop forward to end! 9.800
Ballard (LSU): Last one, ugh. I am sad. HUGE STUCK double layout. Great leaps into the corner for her second pass. Back 1.5 to front layout, really nice. Switch ring to switch half right down to the floor to end her routine and her last performance in the PMAC. 9.9!
Turner (UGA): BHS LOSO LOSO small adjustment. Switch leap to split jump, great. Stuck round off 1.5!
Chio (LSU): HUGE full out wow. Beautiful leaps down and into a STUCK 2.5 punch front, perfect. 9.975!!!
Scott (UGA): Front handspring to BHS LOSO, so good. Front aerial to split jump to BHS, really nice. Switch leap to split jump such beautiful extension into the moonwalk! Dismounts front handspring, front full. WOW. 9.925!
Drayton (LSU): Another huge double layout and a great controlled landing. Switch ring to switch half, so so good. Front through to double tuck and comes up a little short on that last landing. 9.950!
Eaker (UGA): Leaps up to the beam perfect. Side aerial to LOSO, perfect. Switch leap to split leap, beautiful. Dismounts cartwheel Gainer full and takes a step back on that landing, but otherise such a good routine! 9.775
Finnegan (LSU): Ugh emotions for these last three. Finnegan sets up with a HUGE double arabian front to jump, basically stuck. LOVE this routine. Switch ring to Torjete full into dance. Ends with. 2.5 to front tuck and goes both feet out of bounds, but such a great routine! 9.875
L. Smith (UGA): Front aerial and has a booble to resets and does her front aerial to back tuck, wobbles slighty. Another wobble and break on. that jump. Front toss pike and steps forward on that landing. Dismounts Gainer full stuck off the side. 9.450.
Bryant (LSU): Front double, perfect. Great leaps right into the choreo. Ends with front layout to front rudi, amazing. 9.975!!
*exhibition Bacskay (UGA)
*exhbition Shchenikova (LSU): I’m so happy. Back 1.5 to front full, really nice. Switch leap to switch ring half. Second pass front rudi to split jump. What a perfect way to end senior night !!!! 9.850
FINAL: LSU 198.575 (highest team score ever), Georgia 197.175
What a night for both teams!
Georgia had a great night tonight even after a rocky initial start on bars. They rebounded well and were able to not have to count a fall on the first event and picked up the momentum, especially on floor with a season high for the year. Georgia is showing a lot of grit and the ability to bounce back even after the challenges they face rotation one.
Senior night is always so special, but the Tigers really put on a performance and showed out tonight with huge event, total scores and a perfect 10 from Finnegan on beam! The Tigers were dialed in on across every event with the majority of scores tonight being over 9.9, and set a program record with a 198.575! Tonight was the cleanest the Tigers have looked the strongest they have so far and I just know that this meet meant even more with it being the last at home.
Both teams, but especially Georgia looking at the standing, will need to keep it up with SEC Championships being just a few weeks away and a spot on the line.
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Live Blog by Julianna Roland
