Arkansas at LSU

Recap

The Big Storyline: LSU left a lot to be desired while Arkansas performed better than many expected. Haleigh Bryant had a spectacular debut performance for the Tigers. She wasn’t to be outperformed by Kiya Johnson, though, who scored a 10.000 on floor to end the meet after Bryant’s 9.975. Beam was not pretty for LSU, and early miscues on vault and bars meant the meet was closer than Tigers fans likely expected it would be. Arkansas started out great on bars and carried the momentum through the meet. Vault was the weak point for the Razorbacks, and balance checks on beam sealed their 196.350, just two tenths below LSU.

Implications: LSU and Arkansas will be No. 3 and No. 4 in the SEC after Friday’s performances. Arkansas proved that it can hang with the best while LSU will need to put in some serious work if it wants to compete up to its typical standards. It’s the first week. There’s time. But this was not it.

Records: Amanda Elswick’s 9.900 on vault is a career high, as is Kennedy Hambrick’s 9.925 on beam. Kiya Johnson’s 10.000 on floor is her first on the event. Bridget Dean’s 9.900 on beam is also a career high. 

Preview

Current Rankings: No. 15 Arkansas at No. 3 LSU

Why You Should Clear Space on Your DVR: All eyes will be on Baton Rouge as we try to make sense of what COVID protocols and LSU’s lineups look like after the infamous preview meet. The past few years have seen LSU play host to a Pac-12 opponent and win handily in week one, so it will be interesting to see if score discrepancies are similar against a conference foe.

You Can Fast Forward, but not Through This: Several editors projected Kiya Johnson to be the first gymnast to score a perfect 10 in 2021, so make sure to tune into her events. The same goes for Haleigh Bryant, whose vault could also vie for that coveted score. Arkansas junior Bailey Lovett’s floor routine will also be a must-see.