Youngstown State University
Northeast Invitational
Penguins Beat Three Top-11 Teams on Sunday, Finish Fifth at Northeast Invitational
1/19/2020 12:00:00 AM | Bowling
The Youngstown State bowling team stayed on a roll at the Northeast Invitational on Sunday to win all three of its bracket matches and finish the tournament in fifth place. The 26-team tournament was held at AMF Bristol Pike Lanes in Croydon, Pa.
The Penguins, who had to grind through ups and downs to find themselves in 14th place at the end of Friday, jumped seven spots up to seventh place after a solid effort on Saturday. That put them in position to climb to fifth on Sunday with a 4-0 win over Maryland Eastern Shore, a 4-1 win over Stephen F. Austin and a 4-2 victory over Louisiana Tech. All three of Sunday's opponents were ranked in the top 11 of the most recent National Tenpin Coaches Association Top 25 poll.
Youngstown State won its final seven matches at the tournament and finished 10-3 overall for the weekend.
"The ladies did a great job keeping the momentum flowing today and staying in rhythm," YSU head coach Doug Kuberski said. "I'm really proud of the focus we maintained on execution and communication. Our spare-shooting was as sharp as it's been all season, and with as challenging as the lanes were, that was a big part of our success."
YSU opened with a three-pin win in game one in the best-of-seven format against No. 6 UMES, and the Penguins went on to sweep the Hawks. Youngstown State lost its first game against No.7 Stephen F. Austin, the defending national champions, but bounced back to win the next four games for the 4-1 victory. YSU won three straight games versus No. 11 Louisiana Tech to take a 3-1 lead, and it outlasted the Lady Techsters with a 182-159 win in the sixth game.
Leadoff bowler and Nikki Mendez was recognized as a second-team all-tournament performer after finishing seventh individually on Saturday with a five-game total of 1,015.
Youngstown State will compete at the three-day Red Flash Invitational on Jan. 24-26. The tournament will be held in Altoona, Pa., at Holiday Bowl.
