Looking to make a statement
3/16/2011 1:20:00 PM | Women's Bowling, Athletics
The event is the Columbia 300 Music City Classic hosted by Vanderbilt University at the Smyrna Bowling Center in Smyrna, Tennessee. Competition begins Friday afternoon and runs through Sunday.
Thirteen of the top 15-ranked teams in the national rankings will compete in the Music City Classic. Less than two weeks after the tournament, the eight teams for the 2011 NCAA Division I Women's Bowling Championship will be selected.
"We've worked all year to be in a good position for selection to the NCAA field and we feel like we're there right now," Sam Houston head coach Brad Hagen said. "But the team needs to focus on this weekend as one final opportunity to show the selection committee we deserve to be in the final eight."
Sam Houston stood No. 5 in the December poll but dropped to No. 10 in the February rankings. The latest NCAA Division I RPI (Rating Percentage Index) figures have the Bearkats back in the No. 5 position. Seven of the eight teams positioned in the six through 13 spots in the overall RPI also are traveling to the Music City Classic.
"With more than two-thirds of the field in Tennessee nationally-ranked, this is going to be an exciting weekend," Hagen said. "The girls have done a good job of staying focused on what we need to do."
Sam Houston is scheduled to match up with No. 1 Fairleigh-Dickinson, No. 11 Alabama A&M, No. 18 Wisconsin-Whitewater and unranked Southern, Texas Southern and Monmouth on Friday in Baker four game matches.
Saturday, the Bearkats will face No. 8 Kutztown, No. 9 Sacred Heart, No. 13 Adelphi, No. 15 Saint Francis, and unranked Minnesota State and Jackson State in five-person traditional team play.
Results from the first two days will be used to seed Sunday's final round playoff for the tournament championship. The teams will meet in Baker best four of seven action on the final day.
The 2011 NCAA Division I Women's Bowling Championship will be hosted by the University of Detroit Mercy and the Detroit Metro Sports Commission on April 14-16 at the Skore Lanes in Taylor, Michigan.
All eight berths in the national tournament are at-large selections. The selection criteria are overall won-lost record, head-to-head competition, results versus common opponents, overall strength of schedule and overall RPI.
The selection committee will announced the eight NCAA Championship participants on March 30.
"We've played against top competition in major tournaments across the country and fared well," Hagen said. "Sam Houston State certainly has turned a lot of heads in college women's bowling this year. The team is looking forward to one more opportunity to make an impression."
