BRADFORD, Pa. (Feb. 6) -- The Saint Vincent women's bowling team secured the #1 seed in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference playoffs by sweeping the competition in a round-robin event held in Bradford, Pennsylvania. The Bearcats went 8-0 for the weekend.
Individually, the team placed three bowlers in the top-5 in average for the weekend.
The Bearcats started the weekend with a match against Mount Aloysius College, and quickly took the lead thanks to three strikes from Abby Kyle to start the game. SVC took the lead in the second frame and never looked back, going on win the game by a score of 881-749. Kyle led the way with a 190 game, while Kaitlyn Morrison finished with a 178. Jessica Guesman shot a 173.
Up next was a game against Pitt-Greensburg, and the Bearcats took the early lead but fell behind mid-game. Down by 20 pins, Saint Vincent stormed back, thanks in part to triples from Olivia Emmonds and Monique Koehler. A strong team finish allowed the Bearcats to pull away to an 859-757 win. Koehler finished with a 232, while Kyle shot a 180 game, and Emmonds finished with a 174.
In game three, SVC squared off against the host school, Pitt-Bradford, a team that was coming off an upset win over reigning conference champion Medaille. The Bearcats got off to a fast start, opening a 40-pin lead halfway through the game. Bradford fought back, tying the game in the 7th frame, but SVC took advantage of some miscues by the hosts in frames 8 and 9. A double by Guesman was enough for the Bearcats to hold on for a 10-pin win, 840-830. Monique Koehler again led the way, with a 205, while Jackie Koehler added a 188, and Guesman finished with a 187.
The final game of the afternoon turned out to be the team's best, as they outscored Penn State-Behrend 910-795. Mercedes Belch led the way with a 192, while Monique Koehler (191), Jackie Koehler (177), Kaylea Wright (176) and Guesman/Kyle (174) rounded out the scoring.
Day two started with a head-to-head matchup with reigning conference champion Medaille College. Both teams struggled early in the game, but SVC opened a 30-pin lead in the third frame and never looked back, pulling away to a 880-773 victory. Guesman had a team-high 209, while Jackie Koehler added a 178 and Emmonds finished with a 172.
La Roche was next up for the Bearcats, and the team responded with the highest single-game score by any team in the weekend event, 962. Kyle threw strikes in seven of 8 shots, finishing with a 215, one of three Bearcats above the 210 mark. Emmonds had the high score at 218, while Guesman finished with a 211. The final team score was 962-855.
The Bearcats then challenged New Jersey City University. Kyle picked up a split to open the game and give SVC a quick lead, and the team never trailed. Monique Koehler threw strikes on 5 straight shots and 7-of-8, leading the team with a 236 game, while Kyle finished with a 212. Kaitlyn Morrison added a 178.
The final match pitted the Bearcats against the Lions of Penn State-Altoona, and the Bearcats wrapped up the weekend with an 895-628 victory. Monique Koehler's 187 led the way, followed by Morrison with a 185. Kyle added a 178 and Emmonds had a 177.
For the tournament, the Bearcats (8-0) averaged 179.1 as a team, while Medaille (5-3) was second at 170.9.
Monique Koehler led all bowlers in the field of 57, averaging 203.3 for the tournament. Kyle was second overall at 195.0, while Guesman was fourth, at 187.5.
After the two round-robin preliminary events, Saint Vincent has a record of 14-2 in the AMCC (22-5 overall). The Bearcats have earned the #1 seed and a first round bye in the AMCC Championships, which will be held in late March in Beaver Falls.
The team will return to action on Saturday (February 12), hosting a tri-match with Penn State-Behrend and Daemen College, followed by the annual Br. Pat Lacey Memorial Tournament on February 13. The Sunday event is named in honor of the longtime SVC men's bowling coach.
