Bearkats go 2-2 at Southland Championships
3/21/2015 7:38:00 PM | Women's Bowling
Valparaiso rallied from three games to one down to defeat Sam Houston in the final back draw match of the day to eliminate the Bearkats from the inaugural Southland Bowling League championships Saturday.
No. 3 seed Vanderbilt won all three of its matches in the winner's bracket to earn a spot in Sunday's championship round. With its victory over the SHSU women, No. 5 seed Valparaiso moved into the finals of the back draw Sunday morning versus No. 1 seed Arkansas State.
The Southland tournament is being held at the Del Mar Lanes in Houston, Texas. Five of the teams in the event are ranked among the top 20 teams in the country. This is the final regular season tournament for all the Southland members before selection for the 2015 NCAA Championships to be held in April in Saint Louis.
Arkansas State stands third in the national rankings, followed by Stephen F. Austin fifth, Vanderbilt sixth, Sam Houston seventh and Valparaiso 17th.
Sam Houston opened the day with a six game victory in the first round over Valparaiso. The Kats won the first two games 234 - 170 and 194 - 173. Valpo tied the contest with 176 – 167 and 234 – 195 wins in the third and four game. The SHSU women closed out the victory with a 179 – 176 fifth game and a 220 – 214 outing in the sixth.
Top seed Arkansas State knocked the Kats out of the main draw in a six-game thrille. Sam Houston opened the match with a 201 – 162 win. But ASU rallied for 213 – 208, 263 – 175 and 202 – 178 victories. The SHSU women took back the momentum with 196 – 151 and 212 – 182 wins. But Arkansas State took the deciding game 214 – 191.
Sam Houston eliminated No. 2 seeded Stephen F. Austin in the back draw with a six-game victory. The Kats opened with a 190 - 179 win but fell behind two game to one as SFA posted 186 – 173 and 246 – 201 wins. The SHSU women found momentum again, closing out the match with 184 – 176, 179 – 176 and 191 – 171 victories.
The No. 4 seeded Bearkats opened strong in a rematch with Valparaiso going up three games to one with scores of 154 – 145, 217 – 187, 173 – 193 and 207 -187. But Valpo bounced back to take the final three games 201 – 166, 199 – 149 and 202 – 174.
Sam Houston completes the regular season with an 87 – 42 overall dual match record.
Complete Southland Bowling League Championships Results:
First Round:
Arkansas State def. Louisiana Tech 4-1
Sam Houston def. Valparaiso 4-2
Vanderbilt def. Tulane 4-1
Monmouth def. Stephen F. Austin 4-1
Second Round:
Arkansas State def. Sam Houston 4-3
Vanderbilt def. Monmouth 4-2
Semifinals:
Vanderbilt def. Arkansas State 4-3
Back Draw First Round:
Valparaiso def. Louisiana Tech 4-2
Stephen F. Austin def. Tulane 4-3
Back Draw Second Round:
Valparaiso def. Monmouth 4-0
Sam Houston def. Stephen F. Austin 4-2
Back Draw Semifinals:
Valparaiso 4, Sam Houston 3
Back Draw Finals:
Arkansas State versus Valparaiso
Championship Finals:
Vanderbilt versus Arkansas State-Valparaiso
