Youngstown State University
Vanderbilt Music City Classic
Penguins Finish Vanderbilt Music City Classic in Eighth
3/19/2023 5:42:00 PM | Bowling
The Youngstown State bowling team defeated Maryville and battled Stephen F. Austin twice as it closed out the regular season on Sunday at the Vanderbilt Music City Classic.
The Penguins began the day as the eighth seed in the playoff bracket based on 10 matches of qualifying on Friday and Saturday, and that's where they ended up. In fact, 10 teams that placed in the top 11 finished where they started the final day of the competition.
"This last day of the regular season was quite frankly one of our best days of the season, maybe the best," said YSU head coach Doug Kuberski. "We talked some things over between yesterday and this morning, and we came in with a game plan and executed it beautifully. We will take that momentum into our preparations for the Southland Championship. Our spirits are high and we are excited for postseason play."
Youngstown State dropped its opening match of the morning to No. 5 Stephen F. Austin 4-3. The Penguins dropped the opening game of the best-of-seven format 246-243, but they won three of the next four games to take a 3-2 lead. SFA bounced back to win the final two games to end YSU into a match against No. 8 Maryville.
YSU prevailed over the Saints in seven games, and the match was highlighted by a 279 game for the Penguins in game three. Youngstown State rolled 11 strikes in the game, and a 7-pin in the third frame was the only blemish. That gave YSU a 2-1 lead, and the Penguins won game four 228-193. Maryville won the next two games to force a game seven, and Youngstown State held a narrow 215-212 edge to set up a rematch with the Ladyjacks.
YSU shot 247 in the opening game against SFA to take a 1-0 lead, but the Penguins dropped the next four games to finish in eighth place.
Southland Bowling League teams claimed five of the top eight places in the bracket ahead of next week's conference tournament. Sam Houston won the Music City Classic by beating No. 1-ranked and top-seeded McKendree in the finals, and Vanderbilt (third), Louisiana Tech (fourth), Arkansas State (sixth) and Stephen F. Austin (seventh) each finished ahead of YSU.
The Penguin will begin competition at the SBL Championship on Friday. The double-elimination tournament will be held at Rowlett Bowlarama in the Dallas area. Seedings and matchups will be announced this week.
Sunday's Results
Match 1 vs. #5 Stephen F. Austin
L: 3-4
Match 2 vs. #8 Maryville
W: 4-1
Match 3 vs. #5 Stephen F. Austin
L: 1-4
