No. 7 Alabama Gymnastics Closes its Regular-Season Road Schedule at No. 6 Arkansas

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The No. 7 ranked Alabama gymnastics team squares off against No. 6 Arkansas on the road at Barnhill Arena in Fayetteville, Ark., Friday at 7 p.m. CT.

Both teams are coming off season-best scores, with the Crimson Tide scoring a 197.725 in a win over No. 2 LSU, while the Razorbacks took home a win over Missouri with a 197.350. Alabama is 5-1 on the season, while Arkansas is 2-4.

Alabama Head Coach Dana Duckworth Said

"We did a really nice job of maintaining our consistency from one event to the next last Friday. The ladies never stopped fighting and really had a lot of fun. It was the Power of Pink meet, and it is always a blessing to be able to do something for something bigger than ourselves. Even though it was different, the energy in the area was electric, and I think the ladies did a nice job in building their confidence and taking us to another level."

Friday's Meet

No. 7 Alabama (5-1) faces No. 6 Arkansas (2-4) on the road at 7:30 p.m. CT in Barnhill Arena
The meet will be streamed live on the SEC Network+ with Courtney Lyle and Bridget Sloan calling the action
Alabama and Arkansas last met on Feb. 14, 2020, where the Tide took home a 196.625-196.100 win
It will be the final road meet of the regular season for Alabama and its seventh of eight SEC-only, regular-season meets

Last Time Out

The Tide's 197.725 team total against LSU was its highest since going 197.825 against Florida on Feb. 3, 2017 during that season's Power of Pink meet
Luisa Blanco's 39.825 in the all-around was the highest by a UA gymnast since Jeana Rice went 39.850 at the 2004 Southeastern Conference Championships
The Tide's 49.450 on vault was its highest since going 49.500 on March 10, 2017 against Iowa State
The vault rotation against LSU also marked the Tide's first time attempting six vaults with a 10.0 start value since the start value changes on the event
Blanco posted career-best scores in the all-around (39.825) and on all four events for the second week in a row - vault (9.925), uneven bars (9.950), balance beam (9.975) and floor exercise (9.975)
Blanco's performance vs. LSU led her to be named SEC Gymnast of the Week
The Tide had seven scores of 9.9-or-better against the Tigers - Blanco (9.925) and Kaylee Quinn (9.950) on the vault, Blanco (9.950) on the uneven bars, Alonza Klopfer (9.900) and Blanco (9.975) on the balance beam, and Blanco (9.975) and Lexi Graber (9.975) on floor exercise

Up Next

After Friday's meet at Arkansas, Alabama returns home to close out the regular season against Florida on Friday, March 6 in Coleman Coliseum
The meet will be broadcast on SEC Network and will get underway at 7:30 p.m. CT

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