AUBURN, Ala. – For the first time in six years, Auburn Arena will host a top 10 gymnastics matchup Friday when No. 8 Auburn welcomes No. 9 Alabama to the Plains.
"This is what we've been fighting for for years," Auburn coach Jeff Graba said. "To start being one of those teams that's involved in these top 10 matchups. Not just to be going up against somebody in the top 10 but for us to be in it as well."
Auburn won its most recent top 10 home matchup, defeating No. 4 Alabama on Feb. 12, 2016, when the Tigers were also ranked No. 8. Friday's SEC showdown will be the sixth meet featuring top 10 teams since Auburn Arena opened prior to the 2011 season.
"It's rewarding and exciting with the fanbase," Graba said. "Couldn't happen at a better time with the archrival coming to town. We all want this meet.
"This is why they came here. They came here for sellouts. They came here for national and international broadcasts, and they came here to go against the best. It's a top 10 matchup in Auburn Arena. We want this to be the norm. For it to be the norm, we have to perform."
Being highly ranked, says Graba, is a prerequisite to contending for a national championship, pointing out that only once in the past 25 years has a team outside the top eight claimed an NCAA title.
"If you're not ranked right about where we are, or better, it's going to be very difficult to upend these top seeds," he said. "It's on us to continue to get better. The reason you want these top 10 matchups is it's going to be hard in the end. You have to beat these teams in the end. You might as well start getting ready and prepared for the pressure.
"I want that to be what Auburn Arena is about. Auburn Arena is the place where you get top 10 matchups all the time."
As was the case last week vs. Iowa State, when the Tigers recorded the third highest score (197.350) in program history, sold-out Auburn Arena will be packed with 9,121 fans, nearly 2,000 more than the Auburn Arena's previous gymnastics capacity.
"It was the best atmosphere we've had in the arena," Graba said, "It was phenomenal to have everybody in there. I think the team gelled off of it. They absolutely loved the energy. You don't see 'Swag Surfin' too often at a gymnastics meet but it was a lot of fun."
Auburn seeks its third series win in the past six years.
"He's given us some history and some background," freshman Sophia Groth said. "It doesn't matter who we're going against. The goals remain the same every week. It's another opportunity to progress and get better."
"It's definitely in the back of everyone's mind because you want to win," junior Cassie Stevens said. "There are steps you take to get there. We all want it. It's not our top priority but it's definitely there. There's definitely a different feel in the gym this week. Everything is a little more amped up."
In last week's meet, Derrian Gobourne earned a 10 on floor from one judge, tying her career best with a 9.975, knowing her teammates had already secured a team score of 197 with their floor routines.
"I saw perfection," Graba said. "To me, that's a 10. There's a lot of confidence when your team does that for you. It's a team effort to try to get her to that spot, and pretty soon it will pay off for her with both judges seeing it the same way."
With an eye on achieving a high score while still focusing on peaking in postseason, Graba's Gladiators compete against Alabama Friday at 8 p.m. CT on ESPN2.
"I'm not going to sacrifice the postseason to get a win now," Graba said. "I want a high score and I want a win. Anything else is underperforming for this team. We're still us. We're pretty good when we're us.
"We've got to squeeze more tenths of a point out. That's what we've been working on these last few weeks. This will be another opportunity this week to go under pressure and see if we can rise to the occasion.
"We're a young team that's going to go up against a veteran team. They're going to bring their A game, and we've got to bring ours."
AUBURN LINEUP
Depth and experience with a mix of new talent is what the Tigers will bring to the table in 2022.
Auburn will lead things off on vault where it ranks tied for sixth nationally. Among the top 8 are seasoned seniors and All-Americans Drew Watson and Derrian Gobourne. Joinig the pair with a wealth of experience is junior Cassie Stevens.
Youth comes into play in the final five spots. Sophomore Gabby McLaughlin along with freshmen Sophia Groth, Sara Hubbard, Sunisa Lee and Caroline Leonard are all up for a spot in the lineup.
The Tigers move to bars for the second rotation and the top 8 will be relatively the same as last week. Lee and Gobourne are among the nation's best in the event with Watson, Stevens and juniors Aria Brusch, Piper Smith and Adeline Sabados bringing experience. Leonard is also among the top.
Similar to bars, beam will look similar as well for the squad. Groth and McLaughlin will be looked to lead the charge with Lee, Brusch and Stevens joining. Sophomore Olivia Hollingsworth, junior Morgan Leigh Oldham and Hubbard have also earned a spot in the top 8.
Floor will feature power and experience highlighted by Gobourne and Watson. Joining them on the list are Stevens, Brusch, Groth, Lee, Hubbard and freshman Ananda Brown.
UP NEXT
Auburn returns to the road, traveling to Baton Rouge for another Southeastern Conference match up. The team will take on LSU on Saturday, Feb. 5, at 3 p.m. CT on ESPNU.
No. 8 Auburn faces No. 9 Alabama at home Friday night
