Youngstown State University
McKendree
Bowling Finishes Historic Season as National Semifinalists
4/9/2021 12:00:00 AM | Bowling
Youngstown State's historic run through the National Collegiate Women's Bowling Championship came to an end on Friday as the Penguins settled for a fourth-place finish in its first trip to the national tournament.
After securing a Regional Championship and a Final Four berth on Thursday, the Penguins dropped both of their matches on Friday at AMF Pro Bowl Lanes in North Kansas City, Mo. YSU lost 2-0 to top-seeded McKendree and battled Arkansas State into game six of match play before being eliminated with a 2-1 loss.
McKendree was incredible in the morning session, posting totals of 1,145 in traditional play and 1,241 in Baker play. Both of those were the highest totals that an opponent has ever shot against the Penguins in their five-year history. YSU took a 1-0 lead on Arkansas State with a 947-885 win in the traditional point, but the Red Wolves took the Baker point 938-904 to even the match. Youngstown State dropped three of the first four games in the best-of-seven match play series and ultimately lost 4-2.
"We were so locked in and focused on playing our game that it'll take some time for it all to sink in and to find the proper words," YSU head coach Doug Kuberski said. "I will say this: we believe in ourselves and each other, and our success this week will fuel us to keep growing and elevating even more. I'm so proud of our ladies for how well they bowled and for who they are not only as bowlers, but also as people. How they compete and how they handle themselves continue to inspire me.
"I want to give special kudos to Emma Wasielewski and Alexis Sullivan, who are both graduating and moving on to graduate school. We appreciate all they have done to help build our program. And I also want to give special thanks to our entire athletic department, university and Youngstown community, and all our friends and family. Your support continues to fuel us."
YSU vs. McKendree
The Penguins bowled well in their morning match against McKendree, but the No. 1 Bearcats were at their best in the 2-0 victory. Their five bowlers averaged 229 in the traditional point, and the top-ranked team flexed their muscles with a 248.2 average in the Baker point.
Youngstown State began the morning with strikes in the first frame from each spot in the lineup, but McKendree showed early that it was going to be a force by striking on 21 of its first 25 attempts. McKendree's third bowler finished with an 11-strike 278, and the fourth bowler threw the front seven strikes and finished with a 233.
Emma Wrenn had the top game for the Penguins with a clean 225 that featured seven strikes, and Sarah Florence shot 223 behind a string of five strikes in the sixth through 10th frames. Florence and Wrenn both topped the McKendree bowler in the corresponding leadoff and anchor spots in the lineup.
The Penguins had some of their best scores of the season to start the Baker point, but they trailed by 121 pins despite averaging 223.3 after three games. McKendree's lowest game in the set was a 217.
YSU had nine strikes as part of a 219 in game one, and it threw the front five in a 241 in game two. McKendree, however, countered with a 246 and a 267, and the Bearcats had 10 strikes in a 278 in game three. Youngstown State followed with a 203 in game four and a 166 in the finale.
Traditional Point
| Player | YSU | McK | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florence | 223 | 217 | +6 |
| Grams | 169 | 278 | -109 |
| Moore | 177 | 196 | -19 |
| Dockery | 160 | 241 | -81 |
| Wrenn | 225 | 213 | +12 |
| Total | 954 | 1,145 | -191 |
Baker Point
| Game | YSU | McK | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 219 | 246 | -27 |
| 2 | 241 | 267 | -26 |
| 3 | 210 | 278 | -68 |
| 4 | 203 | 233 | -30 |
| 5 | 166 | 217 | -51 |
| Total | 1,039 | 1,241 | -202 |
YSU vs. Arkansas State
Following its first loss of the tournament, Youngstown State was able to work around opens that sprinkled throughout the lineup to take a 1-0 lead on Arkansas State with a 947-885 victory in the traditional point.
Florence overcame two opens in the first four frames to fire a 189 and give the Penguins an 18-pin advantage from the leadoff spot. Madyson Marx was back in the lineup and shot a 182 for a big 45-pin swing in YSU's favor, and Kirsten Moore had a four-bagger in the middle frames on her way to a 209. Megan Grams came in as a sub in the seventh and provided four straight marks, and Wrenn had the highest game on the pair with a 213.
In the Baker total pinfall point, YSU had three straight opens in the third through fifth frames of game one as Arkansas State built a 27-pin lead that ended up holding throughout the match. Both teams struggled in game two as ASU won 156-147, and the Penguins had nine strikes in a 220 effort in game three to shave 19 pins off the deficit. Splits in two of the first three frames were costly in game four as Arkansas State added 15 pins back to its lead, and YSU's 211 wasn't enough in game five wasn't enough to catch the Red Wolves.
A split in the first and opens in the fifth and sixth frames doomed the Penguins in game one of match play, but they recovered to take game two by one pin at 198-197 to even up the tiebreaking point. Arkansas State had a six-pin, 220-214 win in the third game, and game four came down to a good break for the Red Wolves and a bad break for the Penguins in the 10th frame. With a six-pin margin heading into the 10th, Arkansas State's anchor got a Brooklyn strike while Wrenn hit the pocket and was left with a solid 9-pin. The Red Wolves went on to win 222-195 to take a 3-1 lead in the match.
YSU kept fighting and bowled a clean 230, its best total of the match, in game five, but Arkansas State advanced to Saturday with a 233-195 win in game six.
Wasielewski was part of the lineup for the final Baker game and the entire match play point, and she struck in the eighth frame in game six. Sullivan came on in the 10th frame of the final game and rolled two strikes.
Traditional Point
| Player | YSU | ASU | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florence | 189 | 171 | +18 |
| Marx | 182 | 137 | +45 |
| Moore | 209 | 212 | -3 |
| Dockery | 154 | 156 | -2 |
| Wrenn | 213 | 209 | +4 |
| Total | 947 | 885 | +62 |
Baker Point
| Game | YSU | ASU | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 163 | 190 | -27 |
| 2 | 147 | 156 | -9 |
| 3 | 220 | 201 | +19 |
| 4 | 163 | 178 | -15 |
| 5 | 211 | 213 | -2 |
| Total | 904 | 938 | -34 |
Best-of-Seven Baker Match Play
| Game | YSU | ASU | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 182 | 210 | ASU |
| 2 | 198 | 197 | YSU |
| 3 | 214 | 220 | ASU |
| 4 | 195 | 222 | ASU |
| 5 | 230 | 208 | YSU |
| 6 | 195 | 233 | ASU |
| Total | 2 | 4 | ASU |
Nebraska, the fourth team in the championship bracket, went 2-0 on Friday and will play for the national championship on Saturday evening. McKendree and Arkansas State will square off in an elimination match beginning at 10 a.m. Eastern.
