No. 6 Alabama Gymnastics Hosts No. 2 LSU Friday for 17th-Annual Power of Pink Meet

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The No. 6 Alabama gymnastics team returns home to face off against No. 2 LSU Friday, Feb. 19 at 7:30 p.m. CT. The meet will be streamed live on SECNetwork+ and will be broadcast on a taped delay basis on Sunday, Feb. 21 at 6 p.m. CT.

The two teams last met on Jan. 31, 2020 where the Tide took home a 196.775-196.425 road win. Both Alabama and LSU are 4-1-0 on the season and both posting season-best scores last week with UA scoring a 197.000 at UGA and LSU going 198.050 at home.

Head Coach Dana Duckworth Said

"We're always excited about the Power of Pink Meet! I love how it gives our ladies an opportunity to really compete for something way bigger than themselves. It's so important to be able to help increase awareness of breast cancer and early detection - to all those things because there isn't really a person that hasn't been indirectly or directly affected by breast cancer. It is always an honor to carry on the legacy that was created 17 years ago, and it is cool to see it manifest into other sports."

Power of Pink

Started by legendary Alabama gymnastics coach Sarah Patterson with the 2005 season, UA's Power of Pink breast cancer awareness initiative is in its 17th year
This year's Power of Pink meet will be different due to COVID-19, but the Crimson Tide is still doing all it can to promote this vital cause and honor all who are a part of the fight
Supported by the Crimson Tide's Power of Pink initiative, the DCH Foundation has raised over $2.1 million for the DCH Breast Cancer Fund

The Coaches

Dana Duckworth is in the midst of her seventh season as Alabama's head coach and 26th year with the program overall, a total that also includes four years as a gymnast, nine as a volunteer coach and six as an assistant coach
LSU is led by Jay Clark, who has been with the program for eight years and is in his first season as the solo head coach after being co-head coach last season
Clark also led his alma mater Georgia for three seasons

Last Meet

Alabama scored a season-high 197.000 in a narrow loss to Georgia on the road (197.000-197.275)
Luisa Blanco won the all-around and balance beam, while Lexi Graber won the vault and floor exercise
Blanco posted career-best scores in the all-around (39.625), the uneven bars (9.900), the floor exercise (9.900) and the balance beam (9.950) and tied her career-best on the vault (9.875)
The Tide had nine scores of 9.9-or-better against the Bulldogs - Graber on the vault (9.900), Blanco (9.900), Shania Adams (9.900) and Makarri Doggette (9.900) on the uneven bars, Graber (9.900) and Blanco (9.950) on the balance beam, and Blanco (9.900) and Graber (9.925) on floor exercise
Graber scored 9.9-or-higher on all three of the events she competed, scoring 9.900s on the vault and balance beam and a 9.925 on the floor exercise
Adams posted a career-best 9.875 on the balance beam and matched her career best of 9.900 on the uneven bars inside the score sheet
Makarri Doggette has never scored below a 9.875 on the uneven bars, scoring a 9.9-or-higher in eight of her 12 career routines on the event
Doggette has won the uneven bars in every meet so far this season, scoring a 9.9-or-higher in four out of her five routines
In her first beam routine this season, sophomore Luisa Blanco stepped up to win the event and clinch the meet for the Tide as the anchor at Missouri
Shania Adams has competed in the all-around in every meet to this point in her rookie season, with her performance in the season-opener marking the first time a Crimson Tide freshman has competed in all four events in their first meet since Katie Bailey in 2014

Rankings

Rankings are determined by total average at this point in the season
Alabama is sixth overall (196.665) and on the uneven bars (49.240), seventh on balance beam (49.110), ninth on the floor exercise (49.185) and 10th on the vault (49.125) in this week's rankings
Individually, Lexi Graber is fifth on the vault (9.900) and tied for ninth on floor exercise (9.900)
Makarri Doggette is seventh on the uneven bars (9.912)
Luisa Blanco is 12th in the all-around (39.375), and 13th on the balance beam (9.892)

Up Next

After Friday's meet against LSU, Alabama returns to the road, traveling to Fayetteville, Ark., to take on Arkansas on Friday, Feb. 26 in Barnhill Arena
The meet will be streamed live on SECNetwork+ and will get underway at 7 p.m. CT
The meet will also be broadcast on a taped delay basis on Saturday, Feb. 27 at 11:30 a.m. CT

For all the latest information on Alabama gymnastics, follow @BamaGymnastics on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook and head coach Dana Duckworth on Instagram at @UACoachDana.