The seventh-ranked Auburn gymnastics team overcame a stumble to the finish to defeat No. 21 Kentucky 196.275-195.175 in its home opener.
The Tigers posted season-highs on vault, bars and beam, but also posted the lowest score in any event this season on floor.
Though his team wasn’t quite at its sharpest, head coach Jeff Graba was proud of the toughness of his team.
“We left a lot out there,” Graba said. “It just was not a very good night. If you want to talk about a sharp night, that wasn’t tonight on any event for us. But I do think we did a good job muscling through. When it’s not a great night you still have to muscle through, and I thought the girls did a good job with that.”
Some of the struggles, according to Graba, are by plan.
“These four meets in the beginning, we’re not going to hit our ceiling, and part of that is on purpose,” Graba said. “We have to use all four of these meets to use different people, and that’s going to throw a monkey wrench into our team dynamics and energy levels. But I think we’re going to come out after the Florida meet with a real good understanding and a real good trust amongst each other, and I think we’re going to be better because of it.”
But in the end, the young Tigers were able to secure a victory against a ranked Wildcats team to open their home schedule, something that Graba said shouldn’t be overlooked.
“I think the first time in front of our fans is tough on the girls because it’s a lot of energy,” Graba said. “They’re struggling with how to manage that, even the people that have been there before. It’s just a lot of excitement in front of your fans.”
The Tigers began the night on vault, scoring a 49.200. Senior Lexus Demers led Auburn with a 9.900.
On bars, the Tigers posted a 49.250, led by senior Caitlin Atkinson’s 9.900.
Auburn then moved to beam, where the Tigers scored a 49.075. Demers, Atkinson and sophomore Abby Milliet each scored a 9.85 to lead Auburn.
The Tigers finished on floor, scoring a 48.750, led by junior MJ Rott’s 9.800. Milliet said the disappointing performance in that event will only help the team moving forward.
“We were pretty good learning from mistakes, and tonight I thought we had a lot of energy going out and may have spent it too fast, Milliet said. "For a podium, it’s a different world, it helps you a little bit more, and I think we’ll right some of the wrongs we may have.”
Auburn moves to 2-0 on the season and 1-0 in SEC play. The Tigers head to Birmingham on Sunday for a clash with No. 6 Alabama at the Elevate Meet at 3 p.m. CT at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex.
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