Vanderbilt Bowling Upends McKendree for 2018 NCAA Championship

4/14/2018 9:25:16 PM

Southland Bowling League

Tournament Homepage | Live Stream Replays | Press Conferences

ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The clash of perennial powerhouses in Saturday’s 2018 National Collegiate Bowling Championship final did not disappoint, as McKendree and Vanderbilt needed all seven games to decide the title.

The Commodores came out on top, in emphatic fashion.

Staring down a 3-2 match deficit and facing elimination after a 52-point loss in game five, Vanderbilt recovered and edged the Bearcats by three points to force a decisive game seven. On the heels of four straight strikes between the second and fifth frames, the Commodores built a lead that they would not relinquish, outlasting the defending national champions for a 4-3 victory.

It is Vanderbilt’s second national title in program history, the last one coming in 2007.

Morning Session

No. 4 Vanderbilt vs. No. 5 Sam Houston State
In the morning rematch of Southland foes for a spot in the title game, Vanderbilt shook off an ugly start to sweep the Bearkats 2-0.

Both teams combined for six opens in the first two frames while the Commodores did not put a strike on the board until the end of the second. Sam Houston started to find its footing first, holding a narrow 126-119 lead with two frames gone, building it to 226-196 after three.

It was a slugfest down the stretch as Vandy took a 392-289 lead after five frames, with the Bearkats taking it back 574-559 after seven. While the Commodores held the lead for the rest of the traditional match, it was only a five-pin contest as the final two bowlers stepped up.

Maria Bulanova held her composure for Vanderbilt, striking on her opening throw while Stephanie Zavala came in below the pocket for an ugly 4-7-8-10 split. This shut the door for the Commodores, who came out on top 871-826 for a 1-0 lead.

Vanderbilt kept its foot on the gas in the baker total pinfall segment, winning four straight to build an insurmountable 216 pin lead heading into the final game and ultimately winning 1,032-853 for the sweep and a spot in the championship match.

VANDERBILT – Traditional: W 871-862 | Baker: W 1,032-853

Traditional Scores		Team Baker Scores
Jordan Newham	184	202
Kristin Quah	164	225
Emily Rigney	178	225
Katie Stark	190	215
Maria Bulanova	158	165

SAM HOUSTON STATE – Traditional: L 862-871 | Baker: L 853-1,032

Traditional Scores		Team Baker Scores
Madysen Keller	154	154
Syasya Ismail	161	185
Lynne Fishler	203	179
Amber MacLeod	165	133
Stephanie Zavala	179	202

Championship

No. 2 McKendree vs. No. 4 Vanderbilt
The best-of-seven baker series to decide the national championship did not disappoint. In game one, the teams got off to slow starts, with McKendree and Vanderbilt both leaving the third frames open. As Bulanova struck the fifth frame, the Bearcats left it open, setting up a strong Commodore second half and a 224-204 win. Vanderbilt went into game two with a 1-0 lead.

After both sides opened with nine-spares and two strikes, Vanderbilt’s Katie Stark lost her footing on the approach, slipping on the foul line and recovering with only nine on her next shot. The Commodores would still manage to hold a narrow lead after an open fifth frame from McKendree. However, the Bearcats rattled off three strikes from six to eight, and Vanderbilt could not respond in kind. The defending champs tied the series 1-1 with a 233-174 victory.

Game three saw the sides exchange blows down to the final frame, but Bulanova left a 4-8-10 split on her first 10th-frame roll. Faced with no choice but to go for the conversion, her aggression did not pay off and she managed only one, leaving the game open for a 193-182 Bearcat win and a 2-1 deficit.

Vanderbilt opened game four with a spare then three straight strikes and were up 19 after five but were working off just a spare while McKendree had a strike on the board in the fifth. The Bearcats struck in the sixth while Vandy again only spared. It would appear the game swung in McKendree’s favor when both sides left nasty splits in the seventh frame but only the Bearcats converted. However, Vanderbilt responded with five straight strikes to close the game for a 233-204 win to knot the series 2-2.

Game five swung heavily in favor of McKendree. After another open frame from Bulanova in fifth, the Bearcats went off for four straight strikes. Too big of a hole for the Commodores, McKendree took a comfortable 255-203 for a 3-2 match lead.

Facing elimination, it seemed early on in game six that Vanderbilt would succumb to a problem which plagued the in their earlier series losses – inability to match McKendree’s strike runs. After opening with four straight spares, this time Bulanova responded in the fifth with a strike while the Bearcats spared. Vanderbilt struck the seventh and eighth frames while McKendree spared both. Katie Stark spared the ninth while the Bearcats struck again – Vandy would go into the 10th up one but again working off a spare while McKendree had an X on the board. With back-to-back Bulanova strikes and the Bearcats leaving four on the floor after the first throw, the Commodores forced game seven with a narrow 208-205 win (series tied 3-3).

Samantha Gainor opened the decisive game with an awkward 1-2-7-8-10 split. With the risk of falling in an early hole, the freshman delivered, closing the frame with an expertly-placed ball. Quah struck in the second frame while McKendree spared to give the Commodores an early advantage, and a precarious Brooklyn strike from Emily Rigney kept Vandy in the driver’s seat. Helped along by four consecutive strikes and a 2-4-7-10 split pickup from Rigney in the eighth, the Commodores slammed the door in the 10th after McKendree failed to strike on their first ball. A 220-191 win sealed the 4-3 victory and Vanderbilt’s second national championship.

VANDERBILT – Baker Best-of-Seven: W 4-3 (WLLWLWW)

Lineup	Team Baker Scores
Samantha Gainor	W 224-204
Kristin Quah	L 174-233
Emily Rigney	L 193-182
Katie Stark	W 233-203
Maria Bulanova	L 203-255
	W 208-205
	W 220-191