After a road loss to Missouri on Sunday, No. 7 Auburn looks to rebound at home against No. 14 Georgia this Friday, Feb. 24, in Neville Arena after a short week of rest following the rare Sunday meet.
Going into Missouri last week, head coach Jeff Graba’s intent was to rest starters and give other gymnasts more repetitions in a live environment.
“We mapped out the year to make sure we rested those that will need it and now with a short week, I like where we are,” said head coach Jeff Graba. “I think we’re in a good spot with our depth and this short turnaround should be ok for us.”
Sophomore Sophia Groth won her first all-around title at Missouri with a score of 39.275. Without sophomore Suni Lee or senior Derrian Gobourne competing on floor, the Tigers still earned a meet-high 49.375 in that rotation.
Auburn stumbled in its last rotation on the beam, having to count a rotation score of 48.950 after several wobbles and a fall.
After resting last meet, expect to see Lee back in the all-around and Gobourne back on the floor, especially in front of the sold-out home crowd.
The Gymdogs had their best meet of the season last week, scoring a 197.325 in front of a sold-out crowd in Stegeman Coliseum against No. 9 Alabama.
“Georgia is definitely a good team that we need to take seriously,” Graba said. “They’ll come in here ready to go and we’re fully prepared that we’ll get their best shot. This will be a big meet for us as we get closer to postseason.”
With season highs in their last two rotations, the Gymdogs earned a 49.400 on beam and a 49.500 on floor to end the meet on a high note.
Freshman Naya Howard continued to be stellar for Georgia in her first season, tying a career-high all-around score of 39.475. Howard’s best scores of the night came on both bars and floor, scoring a 9.900 on both events.
Overall, the Tigers have won seven of the 17 head-to-head meets in program history. Auburn last lost at home to the Gymdogs in 2017and are holding a current three-meet head-to-head win streak entering Friday.
“We love being at home,” said sophomore Sophia Groth. “There really isn’t anything like Neville Arena.”
This heated rivalry meet between young stars is set to begin at 6:30 p.m. CST and will be streamed on SEC Network.
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Emily Porch is a senior from Sylacauga, Alabama. She joined The Plainsman in fall 2021.
Twitter: @emilycporch
