A week after earning a shaky win at Arkansas, third-ranked Florida returns to Exactech Arena to protect its undefeated home record on Friday at 6:45 PM ET against No. 13 Missouri.

Florida At Arkansas Recap:

Despite not having their best performance, the Gators overcame several uncharacteristic mistakes to beat the No. 23 Razorbacks last Friday. Florida ended the night with a score of 197.125 to Arkansas' 195.20 and won each event. Sophomore All-American Alicia Boren captured her second consecutive all-around win (39.50) and matched her floor exercise best of 9.95 to take the victory. She also shared the vault title at 9.925 with junior Rachel Slocum. Junior All-American Alex McMurtry won the uneven bars title with a 9.975 -- the evening's high mark of any event. Freshman Rachel Gowey claimed her second balance beam win at 9.90.

Meet Notes:

• ​The Gators' high event total of the evening, 49.40, came on vault -- an event in which they top the national rankings.
• Boren anchored Florida's floor lineup by matching her collegiate-best of 9.95 for the fourth time of 2017.
  
• Kennedy Baker had a fall on balance beam after competing first on the event, but after her slip-up no Gator fell off the beam.
• McMurtry competed all-around for the first time, but during her last pass on floor she ran out of gas and fell to her knees.

Florida head coach Jenny Rowland on last weekend's meet:

You never anticipate or want a fall to happen. However, when it does, it really shows the grit the team had. They were able to perform under that pressure of knowing they had to hit. It is a situation we try to replicate in training as everyone makes mistakes and everyone's got each other's back. Hopefully this is something we'll learn from and carry forward for the rest of the season.

ICYMI: Boyce Moves On To New Role:

On Tuesday, senior All-American Claire Boyce announced that she will no longer compete due to continued pain in her hip. She will remain with the Gators as a student coach. Read more here.

About The Missouri Tigers:

Missouri is coming off a quad meet loss against three top-10 teams. Top-ranked Oklahoma won last Friday's GymQuarters Invitational behind an NCAA-leading team total of 198.35. LSU, ranked No. 2, was second (197.70), and No. 10 Georgia edged Missouri for third, 196.975-196.35. The Tigers' total last Friday, 196.35, is MU's season best. Freshman Aspen Tucker turned in Missouri's top all-around total of 39.325 on Jan. 20 to win the dual against Alabama. Missouri ranks seventh nationally on vault, tied for 12th on floor, 17th on beam, and 20th on bars. Sophomore Britney Ward is ranked in the top 10 in two events: the balance beam and vault. Ward is the most consistent gymnast on the Tigers roster this season. She leads the Missouri with seven event wins on the year, with four on vault and three on beam, and junior Kennedi Harris is ranked top 10 on the floor exercise. 

The Battle of Vault:

The Tigers rank seventh nationally on vault with a high score of 49.180 and own an average score of 49.144. The Gators average a 49.40 on vault this season. Look out for Missouri's Ward and Tucker and Florida's Slocum, McMurtry, and Boren to notch some nationally ranked vaults early in the meet.


Related:
NCAA Gymnastics Week 8: Five Routines You Won't Want to Miss
NCAA Gymnastics Week 8: How To Follow The Action
Senior Claire Boyce Moves Into New Role At Florida