Bowlers earn title bracket in Jersey

Nov. 6, 2010

HOWELL, N.J. — Vanderbilt’s performance during Saturday’s team games not only earned the Commodores a spot in Sunday’s championship bracket of the Fairleigh Dickinson Jamboree, it left Coach John Williamson seeing “glimpses of some really good things”.

The Commodores finished the second day of play in fourth place and will play third place Sam Houston State tomorrow in the first round of the title bracket. The winner of that match will play the loser of the top-seeded Maryland-Eastern Shore – second seeded FDU game. In other words, Vanderbilt holds its destiny in the best-four-of-game Bakers in its own hands.

“We had some real competitive moments,” Williamson said afterwards. “We were down about 50 pins heading into the tenth frame against Adelphi and Courtney Morgan finished with five straight strikes and Sam (Hesley) made four to help erase the deficit and turn it into a victory.

“Against UMES, their key player started off with the front nine (strikes) and still we hung in there with a chance to win,” he continued. “And the same was true against FDU when its lead-off also threw nine in a row. That can demoralize an opponent but we stayed strong and the final margin was not indicative of how close it really was.”

There were a number of good individual performances. Once again, newcomer Samantha Hesley was steady and Courtney Morgan had good moments. Sophomore Lauren Rhein got into the fray in the last match and her 202 helped Vanderbilt edge out Kutztown for the important berth in the championship bracket.

Play gets underway at the Howell Lanes at 9:00 a.m. Sunday.

Championship Bracket
Maryland-Eastern Shore 8,892
Fairleigh Dickinson 8,618
Sam Houston State 8,343
Vanderbilt 8,333

UMES 951 Vanderbilt 930
Jessica Earnest 159
Ellen Morrison 189
Kim Carper 191
Samantha Hesley 205
Brittni Hamilton 186

Vanderbilt 965 New Jersey City 796
Earnest 215
Morrison 147 (Courtney Morgan entered in sixth)
Carper 204
Hesley 222
Hamilton 177

Vanderbilt 966 Adelphi 935
Earnest 149
Morgan 220
Carper 189
Hesley 182
Hamilton 226

FDU 1,004 Vanderbilt 909
Earnest 206
Morgan 179
Carper 144 (Morrison in ninth)
Hesley 190
Hamilton 190

Vanderbilt 921 Monmouth 709
Earnest 203
Morgan 170
Lauren Rhein 202
Hesley 178
Hamilton 168