Bowling Continues January Slate at Red Flash Invitational
1/23/2020 12:00:00 AM | Bowling
The Youngstown State bowling team will be in action for the second straight weekend as it makes a 150-mile trip east to Altoona, Pa., for the Red Flash Invitational. The tournament will be hosted by Saint Francis U at Holiday Bowl. All 13 of Youngstown State's matches will be streamed live on the YSUsports YouTube channel, pending a strong wireless signal.
Senior Rachel Darrow discusses the team's finish at last week's Northeast Invitational and gives some keys to success for this weekend's Red Flash Invitational.#GoGuins�� pic.twitter.com/lMYfzWU9hH
— Youngstown State Bowling �� �� (@YSUBowling) January 23, 2020
Tournament Format
The Red Flash Invitational will follow the traditional structure of a three-day tournament. Youngstown State will bowl in five sets of five-game Baker matches on Friday beginning at 11 a.m., and five traditional matches will follow on Saturday starting at 10 a.m. The total pinfall from the first two days of qualifying will determine seeds for bracket play on Sunday, and teams will start competing at 8 a.m. in three best-of-seven Baker matches to decide the final standings.
Previewing The Field
Youngstown State will be one of two ranked programs in the field of nine teams competing at the Red Flash Invitational. The ninth-ranked Penguins will also be the only representative from the Southland Bowling League in Altoona, Pa., this weekend. Other teams at the tournament include No. 13 Mount St. Mary's, Felician, La Roche, Morgan State, Mt. Aloysius, Penn State-Altoona, Saint Francis U and Walsh.
Schedule
Friday - Five Baker Matches starting at 11 a.m.
- #9 Youngstown State vs. #13 Mount St. Mary's
- #9 Youngstown State vs. Saint Francis U
- #9 Youngstown State vs. Felician
- #9 Youngstown State vs. Morgan State
- #9 Youngstown State vs. Bye
Saturday - Five Team Matches starting at 10 a.m.
- TBA
- #9 Youngstown State vs. Penn State-Altoona
- #9 Youngstown State vs. Mt. Aloysius
- #9 Youngstown State vs. La Roche
- #9 Youngstown State vs. Walsh
Sunday - Three Best-Of-Seven Bracket Matches starting at 8 a.m.
Recapping the Northeast Invitational
Youngstown State made a huge move up the standings from 14th after six matches all the way up to a fifth-place finish at the Northeast Invitational last week in its first tournament of the spring semester.
The Penguins had a 3-3 head-to-head record and were averaging 178.3 per game after six matches, but they won their final seven matches with an average of 194.6 per game. YSU earned seven wins over top-25 opponents at the tournament, including two over sixth-ranked Maryland Eastern Shore and one each over No. 7 North Carolina A&T and No. 8 Stephen F. Austin. The Penguins knocked down 1,054 pins in the win over the seventh-ranked Aggies, which was their highest total in a team match this season and the third-highest total n program history. In the final standings, YSU placed ahead of UMES, North Carolina A&T and Stephen F. Austin.
Individually, senior Nikki Mendez earned all-tournament team honors with a seventh-place total of 1,015. It was her third straight tournament finishing above 1,000 pins. Rachel Darrow and Emma Dockery also placed in the top 25, finishing 20th and 22nd, respectively.
Up Next
Youngstown State's next tournament will be in three weeks at the Mid-Winter Invitational in Jonesboro, Ark. It will begin a big stretch for the Penguins to close out the regular season as they will compete in tournaments hosted by No. 4 Arkansas State, No. 3 Nebraska and No. 5 Vanderbilt in a four-week span.
