Kats defeat last year's NCAA finalists Friday
10/16/2015 6:47:00 PM | Women's Bowling
The Sam Houston women's bowlers got their sixth season of competition off to an exciting start with victories over the defending national champions and last year's NCAA runner-up in the Bearkats' opening two matches.
The Kats, ranked No. 6 in the 2015-16 preseason rankings after reaching the NCAA semi-finals last year, opened play today at the Allstate Sugar Bowl Collegiate Classic with a 996 to 841 victory over No. 3 Stephen F. Austin and a 941 to 928 win over No. 1 Nebraska in total pin-fall five-game Baker matches.
Only No. 2 ranked Arkansas State made it through the first day's matches undefeated, rolling up a 5-0 record and leading the tournament in total pins with 6,133.
Sam Houston stands in second place with 5,912 pins and a 4-2 mark on the day. The Bearkats lost to Jackson State 1,018 to 906, defeated Texas Southern 1,024 to 757 and No. 10 ranked North Carolina A&T 988 to 917 before falling in a rematch with SFA 1,076 to 1,057.
No. 5 ranked Vanderbilt stands third with a 5-1 record and 5,853 pins followed by Nebraska (3-3) and SFA (4-1) with pin falls of 5,688 and 5,639, respectively.
The Bearkats have won the Tulane tournament two of the last three years. A total of 15 teams are competing 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.
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.
Action 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 play.
