Youngstown State University
PVAMU Invitational
Grams Places Second, Penguins Rocket Up To Third on Saturday at PVAMU
1/30/2021 12:00:00 AM | Bowling
Behind a runner-up performance from sophomore Megan Grams, the Youngstown State bowling team earned four wins and shot up to third place in the team standings on Saturday at the PVAMU Invitational in Dallas.
The Penguins earned two more victories over top-10 ranked opponents on the day, and their team effort in traditional play moved them from ninth place up to third. As a result, Youngstown State will be the third seed in bracket play on Sunday morning and will bowl against No. 5 Sam Houston State in the best-of-seven Baker format.
"I loved the energy today and the competitive fire that the ladies showed," YSU head coach Doug Kuberski said. "They had each other's backs, and it was a lot of fun to see them grow together. We are focused on playing our game and continuing to elevate."
Grams bowled the two best games of her career on Saturday, bookending a 1,075 set with a 248 against Texas Southern in game one and a 258 against Arkansas State in game five. The 258 is tied or the third-highest game in program history, and her 1,075 total is the 10th-highest pinfall by a Penguin for a five-game tournament. She averaged an impressive 215 to place second in a talented field of bowlers from seven of the top 10 teams in the country.
Emma Wasielewski also had the best tournament of her career, placing 14th with a 969 with a career-best 223 game in the win over No. 9 Louisiana Tech in the third game of the day. Emma Wrenn was 16th with a 965, Emma Dockery was 24th with a 906, and Sarah Florence was 25th with a 905. Wrenn placed second at the Columbia 300 Saints Invite last week, giving the Penguins the individual runner-up at consecutive tournaments.
Youngstown State beat Texas Southern in back-to-back matches to start the day, 967-768 and 925-802, and it followed that with its top score of qualifying. The Penguins registered a 1,002 with Wasielewski, Wrenn and Florence all bowling above a 210 to beat No. 9 Louisiana Tech 1,002-977. YSU then beat No. 5 Sam Houston State 989-857 behind a 222 from Florence, and the Penguins lost their final match 1,058-928 to No. 3 Arkansas State.
The Penguins knocked down 4,820 pins collectively on Saturday, which was the third-highest total behind second-seeded McKendree (5,004) and the top qualifier Arkansas State (4,879). Adding in the pinfall from Friday's five Baker games, YSU edged Sam Houston State by three pins for the third qualifying spot, and No. 4 Nebraska was 17 pins behind the Penguins in fifth.
Youngstown State and Sam Houston State will bowl in the No. 3 vs. No. 4 bracket match on Sunday at 10:50 a.m. Eastern.
Saturday's Traditional Match Results
- Match 1: W, 967-768 vs. Texas Southern
- Match 2: W, 925-802 vs. Texas Southern
- Match 3: W, 1,002-977 vs. #9 Louisiana Tech
- Match 4: W, 989-857 vs. #5 Sam Houston State
- Match 5: L, 928-1,058 vs. #3 Arkansas State
