KANSAS CITY, Mo. (April 8, 2021) – The first-ever trip to the NCAA Tournament for the Mount St. Mary's bowling team was a brief one. Facing two top five opponents, the No. 10 nationally ranked Mountaineers fell to No. 3 Vanderbilt, then faced No. 5 Nebraska in an elimination game. An upset was on the table, but the Cornhuskers came back to send the Mount home.
No. 3 Vanderbilt – 1 | No. 10 Mount – 0
Mount St. Mary's found themselves in an uphill battle with a young Commodores squad. Vanderbilt won the traditional match 1040-937 with four bowlers crossing the 200 mark. The Mount hung tough with solid performances by Paige Boyd with a 234 and Danielle Milo with a 205.
Looking to reverse the momentum in Baker play, the Mount started with a 216 for the early advantage. Vanderbilt denied an extension of that lead by taking the next game 227-151. The Commodores kept rolling, including a 229, to eventually take the Baker set and the Mega Match, two games to none.
No. 5 Nebraska – 1 | No. 10 Mount – 0
The battle of the Mountaineers and Cornhuskers happened after Nebraska was upset by Medaille in their opening game.
Traditional play favored the Mount, with three bowlers scoring over 200. Boyd once again led the way with a 212, followed by Tamera Stanton with a 205 and Amanda Yeung at 203. The result was a 954-922 victory and the upper hand in the eliminator.
Baker play was intense between the two sides, but it seemed that the Mount might send the Huskers home at first. Starting with a 224, they had built up a 76-pin lead. However, the right lane proved tougher than the left on the pair, allowing Nebraska to close the gap in games two and four. A 246 back on the left side helped the Mount's cause, and the team held a slim margin of six pins heading into the fifth and deciding game.
The tide turned against the Mount in the middle frames of the last Baker match. With makeable spares at hand, Stanton and Rebecca Dodson left one pin each. Nebraska responded with strikes in their corresponding frames, and the Huskers completed the comeback with a 215-160 triumph.
Bracket play started with the Mount taking the first game 165-133, but Nebraska rolled through the next four games including a 232. The Mountaineers managed a 210 in the fifth game, but the Huskers' anchor registered two strikes in the 10th frame to seal a three-pin win and eliminate the Mount.
The postseason continues for Mount St. Mary's next weekend, when they travel to Tennessee for the United States Bowling Congress Intercollegiate Team Sectionals.
