After a close loss to Alabama last weekend pushed the Tigers to No. 10 in the country, the Auburn gymnastics team was unable to keep the momentum going Friday night in a 196.875-196.100 loss to No. 6 Georgia at Auburn Arena.
"I don't think we were the same team until we got to floor tonight," said Auburn head coach Jeff Graba. "(The Tigers) were good, and there were some real bright spots, but it seemed like the energy wasn't the same...I'm excited that we could score a 196 with a fall and a bad bar set."
Caitlin Atkinson led the way in scoring for the Tigers, posting an all-around score of 39.525. The sophomore scored a 9.9 in both uneven bars and balance beam.
"It felt good to get back to normal tonight," Atkinson said. "I felt a little off last week. Obviously there were some things I could improve on, but settling down and being myself on beam felt really good."
The rival Gym Dogs led for the entire Flip For a Cure Meet after they defended their No. 1 overall ranking in uneven bars with a score of 49.5. Megan Walker led Auburn with a 9.9 on the vault in the first rotation.
Auburn hung close with Georgia until the third rotation, when a pair of falls from Lexus Demers and MJ Rott allowed Georgia to extend its lead to almost an entire point.
"The mistakes came from veterans tonight," Graba said. "I believe there was something going on in the psyche. The people we asked to do new things did a really good job for us, and that's encouraging."
The Tigers rebounded to score a season-high 49.450 on floor, their first rotation at the event since junior Bri Guy's season-ending Achilles injury against Alabama. Kait Kluz, Caryn Kadous and Brittany Webster all tied their respective career highs on the floor, while Demers set a new career-high score with a 9.925 to finish the meet.
"It was good to see (Demers) become a competitor after a mistake," Graba said. "It's always nice to see that grit and determination to come back...you don't want to see them go into a shell and fade away on you. She finally lived up to our expectations and her expectations on floor tonight."
Auburn travels to face the unranked Kentucky Wildcats next Friday, Feb. 28, in Lexington, Ky. The Tigers will return to Auburn Arena the following week, March 7, to host Missouri in their home finale.
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