Bowlers Open Season In Louisiana Friday
10/14/2015 6:05:00 PM | Women's Bowling
The No. 6 ranked Sam Houston women's bowling team opens its sixth season as they return to New Orleans to compete in the Allstate Sugar Bowl Collegiate Classic hosted by Tulane.
The Bearkats have won the Tulane tournament two of the last three years. Sam Houston defeated Arkansas State in the finals in 2012 and Stephen F. Austin in the finals last October.
Sixteen teams will compete in the three-day event at the AMF Allstar Lanes in Kenner. Ten of the teams are nationally ranked including five of the top six teams in the preseason rankings.
No. 1 Nebraska, No. 2 Arkansas State, No. 3 Stephen F. Austin, No. 5 Vanderbilt and No. 6 Sam Houston all will be in attendance. They are joined by No. 10 North Carolina A&T, No. 19 Tulane, No. 21 Prairie View A&M and No. 25 Alabama State. Unranked teams include Louisiana Tech, Bethune Cookman, Texas Southern, Florida A&M, Jackson State and Southern.
Sam Houston returns six players from its squad that reached the NCAA semi-finals for the second year in a row last April. The Bearkats rolled up a dual match record of 91 wins and only 49 losses and finished the year with a No. 5 national ranking. Each of their five seasons, Sam Houston has finished among the top 10. They have been selected to the NCAA Elite Eight tournament four of those five seasons, winning the NCAA National Championship in 20014.
Three members of the national championship team – Erin Brown, Anna Groce and Janine Kuwahara – along with 2014-15 letter-winners Carrie Hopkinson, Heather Penatzer and Stephanie Zavala return this year.
“I think this year we're stronger than we've ever been,” Groce said. “There's not a big difference from the strongest player to the weakest and there's not a weak player on the team.”
Two newcomers, transfer Randi Speiler and freshman Madysen Keller, join the team this year.
“It's very excited to be going to our first tournament,” Speiler said. “It's an honor to be here and be part of a great team like this. Everyone is ready to get the season started.”
Action begins on Friday with six total pin-fall five-game Baker matches. Saturday features six-play team games. Total pins from the first two days action will provide the seeding for Sunday's best-of-seven Baker bracket match play.
“It's great to have so many returning players,” Brown said. “We're focused on this first tournament. We know that we have to start strong and finish strong. We all want to get it going early.”
