TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - After stepping out of conference last weekend, the No. 4 ranked Alabama Gymnastics team steps back in against Southeastern Conference rival LSU Friday night in Coleman Coliseum.

"It will be another great, hard-fought meet, yet another Friday night in the SEC where the meet will still be in limbo through the last rotation," Alabama head coach Sarah Patterson said. "LSU is one of our longest standing rivals and I know that it's going to come down to our last two competitors on the floor exercise and their last two on beam for the win."

The Tigers are ranked No. 8 in the latest national rankings and took No. 1 ranked Florida down to the wire last weekend before falling by a mere fraction of a point. Alabama faced UNC-Chapel Hill last Friday, easily bettering their ACC foe.

"Alabama is a huge rival so I don't think the team will have any problem getting up for the meet," LSU head coach D-D Breaux said. "But competing with the intensity (that we had against Florida) is what we want to do every time from here on out."

The two teams are well matched, with the vault and floor exercise being the strongest events for both. On the vault in particular LSU is ranked No. 2 nationally with the Tide a tick behind in third. Both teams are in the top-10 on the floor exercise and uneven bars and both teams are ranked in the top-20 on the balance beam.

The meet, which begins at 7:30 p.m., will also provide fans with more chances to win a brand new car as part of the Tuscaloosa Toyota Super Six Challenge. At each home meet, six fans are selected to take part in the end of the season drawing where one lucky fan will win a new Camry. Full details and rules are available at RollTide.com.

Tickets for Friday's meet, as well as the Tide's regular season home finale next Friday against No. 6 UCLA, are available through the Alabama Ticket Office (205.348.2262) located in the lobby of Coleman Coliseum, or online at RollTide.com.

-UA-