The Saint Vincent women's bowling team opened the season by taking first place in the Grapevine Classic, hosted by Penn State-Behrend. The Bearcats posted an 8-1 record and placed two individuals on the All-Tournament Team, including Tournament MVP, sophomore
Abby Justice.
DAY ONE
The Bearcats, ranked #13 in the nation in the preseason Division II/III poll, got off to a strong start, opening the tournament against Ursuline College. SVC took control early and pulled away to a 908-699 win.
Sabine Strickland led the way with a 201, while
Abby Justice added a 198.
Jackie Koehler finished with a 188 while
Daphne Stuber had a 181.
The team improved to 2-0 after a 905-767 win over Pitt-Greensburg, as Justice showed the way with a 235 game. Stuber finished with 4 consecutive strikes for a 206.
In game three, SVC squared off against D'Youville University and led from start to finish, winning 1009-763.
Jackie Koehler had a team-high 224, followed by Strickland (207),
Skyy Nicholls (204), Justice (203) and Stuber (181).
The Bearcats again topped the 1000 mark in game four, defeating Penn State-Behrend 1004-901. Nicholls posted the top score, 234, while Strickland had a 225 game and Justice shot a 216.
While the Bearcats increased their tournament lead in total pins in game five, they could not overcome a strong game by William Smith College, falling by a score of 935-895. Justice had the top score with a 221, while Nicholls shot a 183 and
Jackie Koehler had a 180.
For the day, the Bearcats set multiple records. Justice's total of 1073 (214 average) over five games established a new individual SVC record, and she broke her own record of consecutive strikes and spares with 29. Justice led all bowlers by more than 60 pins for the day.
She was joined on the All-Tournament Team by junior
Sabine Strickland, who averaged 186 on day one and finished 5th overall.
As a team, SVC averaged over 188 for the day, the highest ever for a single day of competition for the school.
DAY TWO
The second day of competition featured 20 Baker team games, broken into five-game sets with total pins deciding the match. SVC started day two with an 885-698 win over La Roche, posting a high score in game three of 214.
Up next for the Bearcats was 11th-ranked Daemen, and SVC took a quick 38-pin lead with a 189-151 win in game one. SVC continued to open the advantage with games of 182 and 217, pulling way to a 949-810 win.
Roberts Wesleyan University was next, and SVC started with a 211-182 win, then captured game two, 185-159. SVC held a 42-pin advantage after four games, then shot a 205 in game five, winning the match by a score of 938-840.
The final match of the day pitted the Bearcats against Hilbert College, and the Hawks grabbed an early lead, leading by 36 pins after two games. SVC then roared back with games of 208, 206 and 197 to win the match by 90 pins, 936-846.
On day two, SVC was led by freshman
Daphne Stuber, with a per-frame average of 20.51, a game equivalent of 205. Another freshman,
Lexi Pilyih, was second with an average of 183.1, followed by Justice (182),
Jackie Koehler (180.8) and
Skyy Nicholls (180.0).
For the weekend, the Bearcats averaged 187.3 as a team, and won the team title by 285 pins. William Smith College (181.0) was second, while Roberts Wesleyan finished third (177.2).
Saint Vincent will be back in action the weekend of October 28-29, traveling to Michigan for a pair of American Heartland tournaments.
