Feb. 15, 2007

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AUBURN -

The No. 11 Auburn gymnastics team (4-3, 1-2 SEC) will return home for the first time in almost a month as it hosts No. 12 LSU (6-4, 2-1 SEC) at 7 p.m. CT on Friday at Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum.  The meet will be televised by Fox Sports Net and be shown on tape delay on Feb. 24 at 1 p.m. CT. 

"It's going to be a fun night," head coach Jeff Thompson said.  "LSU has done very well over last couple of weeks, and we have been pretty consistent.  It will come down to who sticks their dismounts and who sticks their landings.  It's going to be pretty exciting to watch."

Junior Julie Dwyer is ranked No. 2 in the country on beam with an average score of 9.890 and is seventh in the all around with an average of 39.390.  As a team, Auburn is ranked fifth on beam (48.900), 11th on vault (48.995), 14th on bars (48.725) and 19th on floor (48.685).
 
Auburn's 4-3 record is the most amount of wins over the first five meets since 2003 when the team started off with a 6-2 record.  Of Auburn's seven opponents thus far, five have been ranked, and LSU will be the sixth.

A 1-2 all-around finish by seniors Kelly Phelan and Nicki Butler propelled the 12th-ranked LSU gymnastics team to a, 195.575-194.325, victory over No. 24 Kentucky on Feb. 9.  The Tigers turned in three scores of 49.000 or better to start the meet, but had a shaky beam effort in the final rotation to miss securing a 196.000 team score.  LSU ranks second in the nation on vault with an average score of 49.267 and have three of the top-11 individual performers.  Ashley Clare-Kearney is second with a 9.933 average, while Phelan and Butler are tied for 11th with a 9.867 average.

LSU leads the all-time series with Auburn, 41-8.  Louisiana State has won nine of the last 10 meetings, with AU snapping the streak last year with a 196.700-196.550 win at LSU.  The win was the first for Auburn in Baton Rouge since 1992.  The last time AU defeated LSU in Auburn was 2003, with a 194.500-194.225 win.  Coincidently, that season was the last time AU went to the National Championships.