Bearkats headed to national championship
4/11/2014 11:24:00 AM | Women's Bowling
WICKLIFFE, Ohio – The Sam Houston State Bearkats are one step away from a national championship. After a rough opening day on Thursday, the Kats, seeded 8th in the 8-team field, ran through the bracket undefeated to punch their ticket to the finals.
The Bearkats had to twice defeat top-seeded Maryland Eastern Shore, including a 4-0 victory in the semifinals after opening the day with a 4-2 win over UMES. They beat No. 4 Wisconsin-Whitewater 4-2 to set up the rematch with UMES.
“We have worked hard for the last month for this moment,” said head coach Brad Hagen. “I can't be more proud of our senior leadership on this team. Everyone played so well and made the shots they had to make.”
Throughout the day, with the Kats needed a big shot, the two seniors Neishka Cardona and Kimi Davidson delivered.
“The first two games we started from behind,” Cardona said. “We were able to come back and just fill frames and stay clean. We were just saying we needed two good games from everyone (in the fourth) and this is what we did.”
The Bearkats were able to close strong in the first game of the semifinal match against UMES to the started on the right foot. After leaving the fourth frame open, the Kats hit strikes on their next six rolls to take a 230-221 win.
They never looked back from there, winning the next three games by an average of 20 pins.
“It still hasn't sank in yet,” Davidson said. “I'm still a little jittery.”
With the three wins on Friday, the Bearkats become the first 8-seed to advance to the national finals. Despite the odds being against them, Hagen said he liked his team's chances heading into the day.
“I don't care what anyone says, this team is not an 8-seed,” Hagen said. “I attacked things a lot differently than people did yesterday and what we did worked out in our favor. I'm happy the girls stuck to the game plan, trusted me and their abilities.”
The championship will be televised by ESPNU at 7 p.m. on Saturday night.
Round 1
The Bearkats rallied from 2-0 down to win the next four games to take the opening match against the top-seeded Maryland Eastern Shore. The pivotal game for the Kats was No. 5, when they hit eight straight strikes after an opening spare to take the game 252-158. In game 6, after an open sixth frame, the Kats hit three straight strikes to seal a 204-187 win and clinch the match.
It's the first time in three tries, the Bearkats have won the opening match of Friday's elimination bracket play.
Round 2
The 8th-seeded Beakats jumped out winning the first two games of the match and held on for a 4-2 victory over No. 4 Wisconsin-Whitewater to improve to 2-0 on the day and advance to Friday night's semifinal round.
After winning the opening two games, the Kats dropped games three and four. In the fifth, the Bearkats needed a strong finish and got it. Erin Brown got it started in the seventh frame with a strike and Anna Groce and Neishka Cardona followed. Kimi Davidson then needed a pair of strikes to start the 10th frame to seal the victory 212-202.
In the deciding game, the Kats once again found their groove late. Strikes from Rebecca Pittser, Brown, Groce and a spare from Cardona was enough to win it for the Kats.
They will now have a bye in Round 3 and will wait for the winner of No. 1 Maryland Eastern Shore and No. 2 Arkansas State.
Round 3
The Bearkats didn't leave anything to chance in the semifinals in a re-match against Maryland Eastern Shore. The Kats played steady and limited their misses in a 4-0 win over the top seed of the tournament.
The win puts the Kats in the national championship to face the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
NCAA Bowling Championship
Double Elimination Bracket
Friday
Round 1 – 10:50 a.m.
Match 1 - No. 1 Maryland Eastern Shore vs. No. 8 Sam Houston State (Lane 1)
Match 2 - No. 4 Wisconsin-Whitewater vs. No. 5 Fairleigh Dickenson (Lane 2)
Match 3 – No. 3 Vanderbilt vs. No. 6 Nebraska (Lane 3)
Match 4 – No. 2 Arkansas State vs. No. 7 Central Missouri (Lane 4)
Round 2 – 12:20 p.m.
Match 5 – SHSU vs. Whitewater
Match 6 – Nebraska vs. Arkansas State
Match 7 – UMES vs. FDU (Loser eliminated from championship)
Match 8 – Vandy vs. UCM (Loser eliminated from championship)
Round 3 – 4:40 p.m.
Match 9 - UMES vs. Arkansas State (Loser eliminated from championship)
Match 10 - Vanderbilt vs. Whitewater (Loser eliminated from championship)
Round 4 – 6:20 p.m.
Match 11 – Sam Houston State vs. UMES (If SHSU wins, UMES eliminated)
Match 12 – Nebraska vs. Whitewater (If Nebraska wins, Whitewater eliminated)
Saturday
Championship Final – 7 p.m. ESPNU
No. 8 Sam Houston State vs. No. 6 Nebraska
