No. 9 Alabama gymnastics suffers its third loss of the season, falling at No. 2 LSU

No. 9 Alabama gymnastics suffered its third loss of the season Friday, falling at No. 2 LSU 198.325-197.325.

The Crimson Tide (9-3-1, 3-3-1 SEC) was no match for the dominant Tigers (8-3, 5-2 SEC), who improved to 8-0 at home this season. Alabama never held a lead in the meet and claimed one event title with Ella Burgess’ 9.95 on the balance beam. LSU superstar Haleigh Bryant claimed the other four event titles.

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It was not all bad news for the Crimson Tide though, as they will improve their National Qualifying Score (NQS) that is used to determine NCAA tournament seeding. NQS is calculated by taking a team’s top six scores, three of which must have been on the road. The top score is dropped, and the remaining five are averaged out for the NQS. Alabama was counting a 197.125 recorded at the season-opening Super 16 meet in Las Vegas towards their NQS, but they will now be able to replace that with the 197.325 achieved on the road tonight.

Here are some more takeaways from Alabama’s road loss to LSU:

Uneven bars rotation stumbles for Alabama gymnastics

Alabama has had one of the best uneven bars rotations in the country this season, with its team NQS of 49.53 ranking second in the country. The 49.2 they posted against LSU was far from their best work.

No Crimson Tide gymnast posted a score above 9.9 on the bars. Chloe LaCoursiere and Cam Machado both scored 9.875, while Luisa Blanco added a 9.85. Gabby Gladieux and Shania Adams both contributed a 9.8. After falling once and resetting her routine for a second time, Mati Waligora scored an 8.4 that was dropped.

LSU, meanwhile, only counted bars scores of 9.9 or above en route to a season-high 49.65. The Tigers led 99.1-98.425 after the first two rotations.

Alabama’s floor rotation stays hot

In last week’s victory against Georgia, Alabama set a program record with a 49.75 for their floor exercises, a mark that tied for the second-best floor score across the country this season.

This week’s 49.4 tied for Alabama’s fourth-best score of the season. Waligora, Blanco, and Lilly Hudson each contributed a 9.875 while Machado added a 9.825. Gladieux posted Alabama’s best score for the second week in a row with a 9.95, her third time reaching that mark on the floor this season.

Unfortunately for the Crimson Tide, LSU is the best team in the country when it comes to floor exercises. The Tigers topped the Tide and secured the meet victory with a 49.775 on the floor, tying their season-high which is also the highest score achieved on the floor by any team this season.

Feb 23, 2024; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama gymnast Ella Burgess competes on the beam during the Power of Pink meet against Georgia in Coleman Coliseum. Alabama defeated Georgia 198.075 to 196.975.

Alabama gymnastics strong on the balance beam

Had it not been for LSU’s dominance on the floor, the Crimson Tide’s balance beam rotation could have led a massive comeback in the final rotation.

Alabama posted a season-high 49.5 on the balance beam and saw Burgess claim the event title away from LSU’s Haleigh Bryant with a season-high 9.95. Blanco contributed a 9.925, and Gladieux tied her personal season-high with a 9.9. Rounding out the lineup were Adams (9.875), Hudson and Waligora (9.85 each, one of which was dropped).

What’s next for Alabama gymnastics?

Alabama will host No. 16 Minnesota, No. 23 Illinois and Talladega College for the Tuscaloosa quad meet, the Tide’s final home meet of the season. The quad meet will begin at 7 p.m. CT in Coleman Coliseum.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama gymnastics loses at LSU, suffering third loss of the year