The Bearcat women's bowling team wrapped up the three-day Red Flash Invitational, hosted by Saint Francis University at Holiday Bowl in Altoona, Pennsylvania.

On day one, SVC held its own against teams from all three NCAA divisions.

DAY ONE RECAP:
SVC started the day with a 205 in the opening game of a 5-game Baker set against D-II Kutztown University, winning by four pins.  The Bearcats followed with upset wins in games two and three, 179-164 and 161-147, respectively.  Kutztown came back with a 184-161 win in game four, and SVC went into the final game with a 10-pin advantage.  The Bearcats finished with a 198, but Kutztown opened with five strikes en route to a 241, winning the series by a 937-904 margin.  SVC's 904 total pinfall was the team's highest of the year in a five-game Baker set.

Next up was a series against D-I Duquesne University. Despite winning two of the five games, the Bearcats had a high game of 184 but lost the match, 869-761.

In the third match of the day, the Bearcats fell behind Pitt-Bradford after four games, trailing by a total of five pins.  However, the Bearcats finished the match with their highest game of the day, a 209, to win the series 846-799.

The Bearcats then faced D-II Caldwell University, which came into the match in second place in total pins for the tournament.  The Bearcats dropped all five games and the series, 850-759.

In the final match of the day, Saint Vincent went up against New Jersey City University.  The Bearcats won the first game by two pins, but lost the final four, including a 202-192 decision in game five, falling 851-764.

Samm Firestone led Saint Vincent on the day with a Baker average of 17.95 per frame, while Emily Duerr had a solid day, finishing with a score of 17.3.  Dani Koehler finished third for the Bearcats with a 16.5 average, while Cassie Murcko was fourth at 15.5.

The second day of the tournament will feature traditional games, as SVC will face host Saint Francis to open the day at 10AM.  In all, SVC will compete in five traditional games against five different opponents.

DAY TWO RECAP:
The Bearcats opened day two, which was comprised of five traditional matches, against host school and total pin leader Saint Francis University, a Division I opponent.  Dani Koehler threw her highest game of the season, 226, but SVC fell by a 916-779 margin.

Up next for SVC was another Division I school, Norfolk State University.  While SVC improved by nearly 30 pins to a score of 806, NSU shot 898 to win the game.  Koehler again led the way with a 197, while Shelby Noel threw a season-best 172.

The third match of the day was against D-II Long Island University-Post.  The Bearcats trailed by 30 pins much of the game, but fought back and took a lead into the ninth frame.  However, Post outscored SVC in the 10th, earning an 854-831 victory.  Koehler (184) and Cassie Murcko (176) led the way.  Rachael Heater subbed into the game in the 7th frame and threw five strikes in a row to finish, helping to give SVC a late lead.

Saint Vincent faced Coppin State, a Division I program, in the fourth match.  SVC fell behind by 30 pins early, then was down by 60 pins just past the midway point of the game.  Four straight strikes by Samm Firestone helped to bring SVC all the way back, and the team took the lead in the 9th frame.  However, three opens in the 10th led to an 8-pin loss, 840-832.  Firestone finished with a team-high 199, while Koehler shot 189 and finished with four strikes in a row.

The Bearcats ended the day with their lone victory and their highest score of the day, an 841-771 win over Division I Saint Peter's University.  The game was close until the late frames, when SVC pulled away.  Koehler finished with a 200, while Noel upped her season high to a 174.

For the day, Koehler shot 996, an average of 199.2  Firestone averaged 170.4, while Noel averaged 164 for the day.

DAY THREE:
The Bearcats struggled throughout the third day of the tournament, dropping Best-of-7 Baker matches to Saint Peter's University (4-2), Coppin State (4-1) and Pitt-Bradford (4-2).  Koehler led the team on day three with a Baker average per frame of 16.3, followed by Firestone (15.4) and Heater (15.2)

Saint Vincent slips to 19-21 on the season, and will return to action on Friday night (February 2) in a USBC matchup against Thomas More College in Erlanger, Kentucky, prepping for the USBC Norse Classic on February 3.