The Auburn Tigers will have a carnivorous encounter on the mats, bars and vaults Friday with SEC West opponent the Arkansas Razorbacks.
While the Auburn squad is improving, the Arkansas squad has jumped on the national scene.
According to gyminfo.com, the Razorbacks are currently ranked 12th in the country with a roster that includes two All-Americans.
After scoring a season-best team score of 194.975 during the loss at Georgia last weekend, Auburn jumped into the polls and is currently ranked 22nd in the nation.
The Razorbacks are coming off a road victory against SEC East opponent Kentucky Wildcats.
The Razorbacks secured their first victory of the season thanks to solid efforts from junior Jamie Pisani and sophomore Jordan Salsberg.
Pisani posted a 39.125 on the floor and Salsberg clinched a beam victory with a score of 9.775. Pisani has already gained All-American status and is currently ranked 12th in the country in the All Around category.
Freshman Katherine Grable is ranked 29th nationally on vault, while Pisani is the third-ranked vaulter in the country.
The Tigers are coming off a loss to the University of Georgia.
Auburn is led by senior Rachel Innis, who is ranked 17th in the country on the beam and 20th in the floor exercises.
Auburn junior Kylie Shields is ranked 43rd in the country on the uneven bars.
Shields also has the team's season high score of 9.825.
Arkansas and Auburn have faced off in gymnastics a total of 16 times.
The series is tied at eight wins for both teams, and Auburn came out victorious in its last meeting during the SEC Championships.
Arkansas, however, did light up the scoreboard last year in its regular season meet, with a mesmerizing final score of 197.025.
"We have to keep together as a team," said sophomore Toi Garcia. "We have to hit our 24 for 24s and just keep the whole team working hard in practice."
Auburn first-year head coach Jeff Graba urged Tiger fans to come out in throngs, as this meet is important in determining SEC West standings.
"It's going to be fantastic to go home to our crowd next week and improve on what we've done tonight," Graba said.
The Tigers and Razorbacks will tear into each other at 7 p.m. at the Auburn Arena Friday.
The gymnastics program is asking that all fans who attend the meet wear pink in support of breast cancer awareness.
The first 1,000 fans in attendance will receive pink shakers upon entry.
Pink Auburn gear as well as $1 raffle tickets will be on sale to benefit breast cancer research.
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