LAS VEGAS, Nev. – The No. 2 ranked McKendree University women's bowling team closed out play here Monday afternoon by picking up a 4-3 win in the championship match against 10th-ranked and No. 1 seeded Stephen F. Austin to take home the team championship trophy at the in the 2nd-Annual Stormin' Blue & White Vegas Classic hosted by Mount St. Mary's University and held at the South Point Hotel & Casino Bowling Arena.
After posting a 7-2 record in the first two days of the event, the Bearcats were seeded No. 2 in Monday's championship bracket, which was a best-of-seven Baker format. In the first match of bracket play, the Bearcats would fall 4-0 to Stephen F. Austin, before posting a 4-2 win over fifth-ranked and No. 3 seeded Vanderbilt in the second round to set up a rematch with the Ladyjacks in the championship match. Against Vandy, McKendree won the first two games (229-194 and 212-172), before losing the next two (244-233 and 247-186) and then earning wins of 223-163 and 184-177 in the fifth and sixth games to earn the victory.
In the championship match, SFA opened with a 215-191 win. McKendree, though, would win the next three games (222-214, 249-189, 210-202) to take a 3-1 lead in the match. SFA would come back and win the fifth game, 245-238 and then post a 202-168 win in the sixth game to set up a winner take-all scenario in the seventh and deciding game. The seventh game belonged to McKendree as they came one pin shy of a perfect game as they defeated the Ladyjacks, 299-235, to win the tournament title among the field of 13 teams.
For the event, McKendree posted a 9-3 overall record and recorded a total pinfall of 14,171 as they averaged 211.5 in 67 total games. The tournament title was the second of the season for the Bearcats as they also claimed the team title at the National Collegiate Team Match Games held at the St. Clair Bowl on Nov. 27-28 in Fairview Heights, Ill.
Third-ranked Nebraska finished third at the event after posting a 4-1 win over Vanderbilt in the third place match, while tournament host and ninth-ranked Mount St. Mary's finished in fifth place following their 4-2 win in the fifth place match against Maryville (Mo.).
Along with finishing as the tournament champion, the Bearcats also had the top individual finisher during Sunday's traditional games as junior
Kayla Smith (Salem, Ill./Salem) recorded a total pinfall of 1,146 pins and averaged 229.20 per game to earn Tournament MVP honors. Smith scored over 200 in all five games on Sunday, including a high game of 275 against 10th-ranked Maryville.
In addition to Smith, three other Bearcats finished in the Top 25 of the individual standings as junior
Rebecca Hagerman (Loves Park, Ill./Harlem) finished 12th on the individual standings after recording a pinfall of 1,033 and averaged 206.60 per game and had three games of 200 or better, including a high of 233 against 25th-ranked Monmouth.
Junior
Maranda Pattison (Redwood Valley, Calif./Ukiah Independent) was 18th overall and senior
Hope Gramly (Prosper, Texas/Prosper) was 25th overall. Pattison finished traditional play with a total pinfall of 1,009 and averaged 201.80 per game and had three games over 200, including a high of 232 against Maryville, while Gramly tallied a pinfall of 988 as she averaged 197.60 per game and had three games over 200 with a high of 229 against Monmouth.
In Saturday's five Baker matches, the Bearcats went 4-1 and then posted a 3-1 record in Sunday's traditional matches as among their wins was a 929-903 win over SFA and a 1,076-994 win over Maryville (Mo.).
The Bearcats will return to the lanes on Jan. 21-23 as they compete in the Northeast Classic hosted by Sacred Heart University and held in Deptford, N.J.
