AUBURN, Ala. – The No. 14 Auburn gymnastics team extended its winning streak in Auburn Arena to seven in a row, edging No. 20 Missouri with a season-high score of 196.700. The visiting Tigers finished with a 196.650 Friday night.
The win moves Auburn to 3-3 on the season and 2-1 in the Southeastern Conference.
"It was a pretty good night," head coach Jeff Graba said. "This was our last meet where we're trying to play with lineups and give people opportunities. We had a pretty good score, but I do believe our fatigue was showing a little bit tonight. We need to rest up and fix a few little things, but for the most part, I think we had a good night."
The Tigers started out strong, posting a season-high 49.275 on vault. The squad saw three career bests in the first rotation, including a 9.95 by junior Drew Watson. Freshman Cassie Stevens followed with her career score of 9.85.
"I think we set the tone on vault, especially since we struggled a little on vault at LSU last week," Stevens said. "We were able to come back this week a lot stronger with a good start. I think we kept that momentum going pretty well throughout the meet from event to event."
Another season high came on bars in rotation two as Auburn put together another 49.275.
"What we focused on during bars was building off of each other," junior Gracie Day said. If one person in front of us didn't have their best routine, we tried to focus on ourselves and what we needed to do to get the job done rather than trying to make up for something. We built off of each other from that."
Overall, despite the strong score at home, the team is ready to improve and move on to next week when they hit the road once again.
"We get a full week of practice this week and that's new for us," Graba said. "I think it's evident that we have some little things to work on, so it'll help us pick apart the routines a little more and get a tenth back here and there."
Auburn returns to action Sunday, Feb. 2, traveling to rival Georgia for a conference meet. The two teams go head-to-head at 3 p.m. CT on ESPN.
VAULT
The Tigers kicked off the night on a high note, scoring a season-best 49.275 in the opening rotation. Watson captured the event title when she tied her career high with a 9.95. Stevens and junior Derrian Gobourne added a pair of 9.85s, which was a career score for Stevens. Day chipped in a 9.825, while senior Skyler Sheppard finished with another career score of 9.8.
BARS
It was another season high for the team on bars as the squad put together a 49.275. Freshman Aria Brusch had a career night in the event, earning a 9.9. Gobourne anchored the rotation with a 9.875, while Stevens followed with another career score in the lead off at 9.85. Day and freshman Adeline Sabados also contributed to the team score with a 9.85 and a 9.8, respectively.
BEAM
Auburn remained consistent on beam, earning a 49.100 as a team. Four Tigers in senior Emma Slappey, Stevens, junior Meredith Sylvia and Sheppard had a 9.825 on the night. The score was a season high for Slappey and a career high for Stevens. Brusch's 9.8 also went towards Auburn's overall score.
FLOOR
A pair of 9.85s from Brusch and Watson highlighted the team's performances on floor as Auburn went on for a 49.050 in the event. Sheppard earned a 9.825, while Stevens finished with a 9.775. Sophomore Sabrina Cheney led things off with a 9.75 for a career score.
ALL-AROUND
For the third-straight meet, the Tigers were represented in the all-around by Watson and Stevens. Watson finished with a 39.325 and Stevens set another career best on the night, earning a 39.300.