Oct. 26, 2006
Vanderbilt opens is 2006-07 bowling season Saturday morning with a dual meet at Alabama A & M, a match that could take on the feel of last April’s NCAA Championship in Houston. There the Bulldogs rode a red-hot streak to a second place finish while the Commodores tied for fifth with its then-freshman lineup.
“We have always had good competition with Alabama A & M and we expect the same Saturday,” says Commodore Coach John Williamson. “We have been practicing for about a month and this will give us an early indication as to where we are. Bowling has a long season, however, so we aren’t going to draw too many conclusions from this match either way. It will be very good experience because A & M has a very good team.”
Vanderbilt will take five sophomores and two freshmen to Huntsville, led by All-American and 2006 NTCA Rookie of the Year Michelle Peloquin. Fellow sophomores Tara Kane, Mandy Keily, Karen Grygiel and Kaitlin Reynolds will be joined by freshmen Josie Earnest and Ashley Belden.
“We are having very good practices,” Williamson says, “and I expect that will remain the case this year. We are looking for our most competitive combinations. We might find, for example, that we’ll use someone in Baker games and someone else in Team games. Our goal is to put our five strongest bowlers on the lanes to represent Vanderbilt.”
Last year, with four Commodores making their collegiate debut at this same dual, Peloquin quickly put her name in the Vanderbilt record book, rolling a 750 series.
More Vanderbilt team information can be found on vucommodores.com.
