AUBURN, Ala. – The No. 14 Auburn gymnastics team remains at home this Friday, hosting No. 7 Alabama in Neville Arena on February 9. The two teams will square off at 8 p.m. CT on SEC Network.
"We're really excited to have Alabama come into Neville Arena," head coach Jeff Graba said. "This is definitely the best atmosphere in college gymnastics and it's quite the event. Really looking forward to it and to see how we hold up against our rival."
The rivalry between the two schools has continued to grow in momentum over the last few years and Friday's contest will be the second match up this season between the two schools.
"Going against teams like Alabama early to start the year really helped this team believe in themselves," Graba said. "You can't show up to this meet and not be amped. It's going to take a lot of focus to accomplish what we want to Friday with the help of our fans."
The match up will be Auburn's seventh against a top 10 opponent already this year.
"The gauntlet we went through in January is starting to pay off," Graba said. "We've faced some of the best teams in the country and have had gymnasts earn experience in various areas. I really like where we are at right now and Friday is going to be a lot of fun."
FAN INFORMATION
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. CT and fans are encouraged to plan accordingly to arrive before we get started at 8 p.m. CT.
PARKING
The Neville Arena Lot is reserved for those with premium seating and requires a parking pass to park in the lot. Those parking passes have been emailed to the appropriate ticket holders.
For those without a Neville Arena Lot parking pass, free and recommended parking is available in the Campus Safety Lot located off of War Eagle Way. This lot provides easy access to the main entrance of Neville Arena. Additional free parking is also available in the Stadium Parking Deck, Athletics Complex Parking Deck and the Coliseum Lot.
ADA parking is available in the Wire Road lot and a golf cart shuttle as well as a transit will begin running 90 minutes prior to each meet. The shuttle will run for one-hour post-meet.
FAN EXPERIENCE
A few reminders for fans during the meet…
- WEAR ORANGE!
- It's Rodeo Night in Neville Arena! We have orange cowboy hats for fans (while supplies last) and Auburn University students have a chance to win Auburn rodeo tickets!
- Fans will be able to collect the fourth of five autograph cards, featuring juniors Sophia Groth and Anna Hill, redshirt freshman Hailey John and freshman Jersie Woolsey.
- Concessions and team shops are cashless.
POTENTIAL LINEUP
Auburn will kick off the meet on vault with Alabama starting on bars. The Tigers are hoping to see a handful of 10.0 vaults from the top eight.
Leading the way is fifth year Cassie Stevens, who has won back-to-back vault titles with the most recent earning her a 9.925.
Joining her in the top eight with a 10.0 vault will be seniors Olivia Hollingsworth and Sydney Schumaker as well as junior Sara Hubbard and freshman Julianne Huff.
Huff has a career-high 9.9 with one vault win this season. Schumaker, a transfer from SUNY Brockport, earned a share of the vault title vs. Kentucky in early January with a 9.9. Hubbard and Hollingsworth each have 9.875s this season on their Yurchenko 1.5s.
Junior Sophia Groth won the vault title vs. Florida on Jan. 19 with a season-best 9.9 on her full.
Freshman Jersie Woolsey and junior transfer Anna Hill are also among the team's top eight.
The Tigers will move on to bars and a plethora of upperclassmen are set to lead the charge in the event as five of the top eight are fifth years, seniors or juniors.
Groth won the event last week with a season-best 9.9 to lead the squad at the quad meet.
Stevens kicked off the year with a 9.925 in the event and anchored the first four meets. Hollingsworth and McLaughlin each have 9.9s under their belts this season as well.
Fifth year Aria Brusch is also among the top eight and has 41 starts in the event in her career.
Joining the experienced crew in the top eight on bars will be sophomore Hannah Hagle, redshirt freshman Olivia Greaves and freshman Emma Grace Boyd.
Greaves earned the first start in her career last week after battling a knee injury last year and a foot injury to start the season in 2024. She anchored the squad with a 9.875.
Auburn moves on to beam for rotation three and not much has changed for the top eight. The squad is coming off a season-best 49.425 in the event last week.
McLaughlin has been rock solid in the anchor spot for the squad, winning beam a week ago with a 9.925. She's also among the nation's best with a 9.9 average.
Stevens earned the beam title on the road at Arkansas with a season-best 9.9, while Groth chipped in a season-high 9.9 last week.
Hollingsworth has earned back-to-back 9.875s for the Tigers, while Brusch set a season best last Friday with a 9.85.
Hagle, freshman Paige Zancan and Schumaker are also in the mix to compete. Zancan has started for the Tigers in three-straight meets.
Auburn finishes on floor for the final rotation.
Stevens, McLaughlin, Hollingsworth, Brusch and Groth all have a wealth of experience in the event. McLaughlin earned a career-high 9.95 to win the event title last week and has four-straight 9.9s or better to her credit.
Also among the top eight are Hubbard, Hagle and Zancan. Hagle earned a spot in the lineup last week and scored a career-high 9.875.
UP NEXT
The Tigers take to the road, traveling to nationally-ranked LSU next week. The two Tiger teams will face off on February 16 at 8 p.m. CT on SEC Network in Baton Rouge.