For only the second time this season the members of the No. 17 Penn State women's gymnastics team will be playing the role of underdog in a dual meet.
And they must travel over 1,200 miles to do so.
At 8 tonight, the Nittany Lions will face the No. 6 LSU Tigers in Baton Rouge, La. The meet is the second of three consecutive road trips the Lions must face as they near the end of the regular season.
Penn State has not faced an opponent of higher rank since it upset then-No. 9 Michigan in Ann Arbor on Feb. 16, narrowly pulling out a victory by the score of 195.900-195.525.
Going into an away arena and upsetting a higher ranked team could be a major confidence boost. That was the case in the victory over Michigan, and so it could be if the Lions can pull out another strong performance away from home.
"Being ranked sixth, they don't expect us to beat them," Penn State coach Steve Shephard said.
In the last meet, Penn State tallied a 195.275, a score lower than what both the coaches and the gymnasts themselves expected.
Slipping somewhat in the team overall score, the squad looks to regain its form prior to its meet against Maryland. Scoring in the 195 range brought down their ranking, and is something that Shephard is looking to avoid.
"Time is growing short, and we really need to maximize our overall score now," Shephard said. "We need to build the confidence that we are going to need heading into championship season."
LSU is a team not lacking in individual skill. The Tigers boast the top-ranked vaulter in the country in Ashleigh Clare-Kearney. Her 9.955 regional qualifying score gives LSU added security in a tough area of the rotation, an area that has caused Penn State more problems this season than any other.
LSU also has security in another position: Head coach. Guiding a solid team, D-D Breaux is entering her 30th year at the helm for the Tigers. She recognizes the challenge that a talented team such as Penn State poses, even away from home.
"Having another top-20 team come here is great for us," Breaux said. "Couple that with the fact that Penn State beat us in our first meet makes us very respectful of what they can do."
At the Super Six Challenge earlier in the season, Penn State sneaked by then-No. 9 LSU to take third place. The Lions would like nothing more than to have a repeat performance tonight.
Sophomore Katie Perret, who has garnered six uneven-bar crowns this season, is confident that Penn State can stand with anyone in the nation, including LSU.
"LSU is a great team," Perret said. "But there's no doubt in my mind that we have the same amount of talent. "It would be great to be able to prove that."
Proving it to the country as well as themselves is going to take a strong effort, both physically and mentally.
Running on only three days of practice, the squad looked ready preparing their beam routines on Wednesday during practice. Shephard gave his gymnasts the weekend off following the Maryland meet and feels that is was the right decision.
"It's the middle of the season and it's starting to take a toll on their bodies and their energy levels," Shephard said. "But they came in on Monday and Tuesday and just looked great."
Without a large target on their backs, the Penn State gymnasts look to once again go on the road and take down a top-10 team, and gain further momentum as the regular season draws to close.
"This is an opportunity for us to build our confidence," Shephard said. "If we can turn it around and put the pressure on them, then anything can happen."
