FAYETTEVILLE — The euphoria of a program-high score for the University of Arkansas gymnastics team last Friday has melded into the reality of yet another difficult assignment tonight.
The No. 6 Razorbacks (2-4) will host traditional power No. 7 Alabama tonight at 7 at Barnhill Arena in the home finale that will serve as a tribute to women’s empowerment and senior night for Sophia Carter, Sarah Shaffer, Maggie O’Hara and Sydney Laird.
Kennedy Hambrick won or shared the titles on all four events and posted a program-high 39.75 to win the all-around competition and pace the Razorbacks’ best-ever 197.35 in a win over Missouri.
Alabama at Arkansas
WHEN 7 p.m., Friday
WHERE Barnhill Arena, Fayetteville
RECORDS Alabama 5-1 SEC; Arkansas 2-4 SEC
RANKINGS Arkansas is No. 6 (196.854); Alabama is No. 7 (195.842)
SERIES Alabama leads 38-5-1
TV SEC Network-Plus
“I’ve been working so hard to put everything together and once I finally did, it was just a really great feeling and you could tell I got a little overwhelmed,” said Hambrick, whose eyes welled up with tears during the closing ceremonies last week.
“Last week was just an emotional night, breaking records and Kennedy of course being amazing, as always,” said Carter. “It’s just so encouraging and exciting. … The even more exciting part is that wasn’t even close to our very best. So whenever we put a whole meet together start to finish and everyone just builds off one another, that’s going to be something truly special.”
Second-year Coach Jordyn Wieber said a stronger bars performance, following a sub-par 49.025, and a few more clean landings on the vault could have pushed Arkansas into the mid to high 197s.
“We have yet to put a full meet together, put all four events to our potential,” Wieber said. “That’s what we know our team can do, but we have yet to do it. I think we’re on a steady incline. We’re are definitely getting there. I’m hoping it can be this Friday we put it all together.”
The Razorbacks might need to do just that to quell Alabama, which has a 38-5-1 advantage over Arkansas.
The Crimson Tide (5-1) are coming off a huge home win over No. 2 LSU with a score of 197.725, their highest score of the season by a whopping 0.725. Alabama has won its last seven meets against Arkansas, which has a slender advantage of 0.012 over the Tide in average scores this season.
“If we’re on and they’re on, it’s got the potential to be a really good, close meet,” Wieber said. “That’s exciting. I think we have to be able to show up and not make it bigger than what it is. … If we show up and look good, then I think we could really challenge a team like Alabama because they’ve been looking good all season.”
Hambrick moved up to No. 20 in the all-around rankings with an average score of 39.321 after her school-record performance. She’ll get a stiff challenge tonight from Alabama’s Luisa Blanco, who is No. 3 in the all-around (39.608), bolstered by her excellent beam (9.92) and floor exercise (9.908) averages.
Hambrick will be joined in the all-around by Shaffer, who is No. 53 (39.045).
The Razorbacks have nine other top 50 individual rankings, with Hambrick at No. 8 on the floor, O’Hara No. 13 on the bars, sophomore Bailey Lovett No. 21 on the floor, Hambrick No. 24 on the beam, junior Amanda Elswick No. 27 on the vault, Lovett No. 32 on the beam, O’Hara No. 44 on the beam, senior Abby Johnston No. 45 on the floor, and Shaffer No. 48 on the bars.