Bowlers start season with championship
10/18/2015 6:44:00 PM | Women's Bowling
Kenner, La. – For the third time in the past four years, the Sam Houston women's bowling opened its season hoisting the championship trophy at the Allstate Sugar Bowl Collegiate Classic hosted by Tulane University.
The No. 6 ranked Bearkats defeated No. 2 Arkansas State in the finals of the best-of-seven Baker bracket play Sunday. Sam Houston rallieom two games to none down to win 168 – 202 , 168 – 205, 229 – 215, 180 – 179 , 222 – 161 , 218 – 216.
Sam Houston's Heather Penatzer earned tournament "Most Valuable Player" honors and her teammate Janine Kuwahara joined her on the all-tournament team.
With Arkansas State and Sam Houston meeting in Sunday's opening round as the number one and two seeds, respectively, based on total pinfall in Friday and Saturday play, ASU defeated the Bearkats in five games 191 – 226, 194 – 166, 188 – 180, 247 – 190, 190 – 182.
To get to the championship match, the Kats defeated No. 5 Vanderbilt in five 220 – 176, 161 – 210, 204 – 181, 202 – 186, 255 – 189 in the semi-finals.
Defending NCAA champion Nebraska defeated Vanderbilt for third place. Stephen F. Austin topped North Carolina A&T in five in the fifth place match.
Sam Houston completed the tournament with a 10-4 won-loss record and a pin fall average of 198.2 pins.
In tradition team play on Saturday, Penatzer and Kuwahara posted the top two individual total pins averages Saturday in traditional team play with marks of 214.33 pins and 213.83 pins per match, respectively. Their Bearkat teammates, Anna Groce and Erin Brown ranked 12th and 21st with averages of 201.0 and 193.75.
No. 2 ranked Arkansas State, the only team to defeat the No. 6 rated Kats in traditional team play Saturday. The Bearkats opened play Saturday with a 972 to 863 win over Vanderbilt. Sam Houston continued its dominance of the Southwestern Athletic Conference with consecutive traditional team victories of 970 to 898 over Prairie View A&M, 1,046 to 803 versus Alabama State and 1,015 to 687 against Southern. Arkansas State edged the Bearkats 1,035 to 991 to complete the day's action.
Friday, the Kats opened play 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.
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 to complete Friday's action.
