Arlington, Texas — The Youngstown State bowling team continued its strong start to the Prairie View A&M Invitational during traditional play on Saturday and put itself in a position to make a run at the title. The three-day tournament is being at the International Training and Research Center.

The Penguins began the day in third after five Baker matches on Friday, and they were one pin away from having the highest total in the field on Saturday. YSU won all five of its head-to-head matches against a gauntlet of opponents ranked in the top 11 of December's National Tenpin Coaches Association Poll. Youngstown State totaled 5,292 pins on Saturday, and it was the only school in the immensely talented field to have all five bowlers average at least 200. 

"We are doing a solid job of staying focused on our process and our work," said YSU head coach Doug Kuberski. "I'm very proud of the ladies. They are making quality shots across the board and communicating well, which has been empowering us to navigate challenging transitions together. We are looking forward to resting up and getting back after it tomorrow."

Youngstown State began its undefeated day by topping seventh-ranked Nebraska 994-945 in what ended up as YSU's lowest match total of the day. The Penguins followed by firing their highest traditional set of the season in a 1,144-967 win over No. 11 Sam Houston, and YSU was over 1,100 again with a 1,104-1,046 win over No. 4 Louisiana Tech in its third win. The Penguins then beat No. 9 Stephen F. Austin 1,005-969, and they finished the round with a 1,045-941 victory over No. 5 North Carolina A&T.

Individually, Jade Cote continued her impressive play and is in contention to capture her second straight individual title. She averaged 253.7 over her first three games, and she is currently in third place with a five-game total of 1,150 with one game remaining on Sunday. Behind Cote, Lyndsay Ennis is ninth (1,064), Kirsten Moore is 14th (1,046), Hope Bunk is 15th (1,028) and Madyson Marx is 22nd (1,004).

Youngstown State will complete the Round Robin and the qualifying portion of the tournament by playing Southern in another traditional match on Sunday. The Penguins will then bowl two best-of-seven Baker matches to determine the final standings. Play begins at 9:25 a.m. Eastern, and all three matches will be streamed live on BowlTV.