Jan. 29, 2010
READING, Pa.— Vanderbilt escaped a winter blizzard on its own campus Friday, only to find the lanes of the Kutztown Invitational almost as frigid. The No. 1 rated Commodores were trying to shake off the rust of a two-month tournament lay-off and from the outset it was apparent that there wasn’t enough WD-40 in house to completely smooth things out.
Fortunately, the five hours and five Baker games of competition merely established the bracket for this massive, 28-team event that is one of the largest NCAA women’s tourneys of the year. These teams will start figuring out an eventual champion tomorrow morning.
Vanderbilt finished its day with a three win, two loss worksheet; it will be the third seed behind Maryland-Eastern Shore and Delaware State after its stream of open frames and resulting modest scores, especially in the first few games. It was an afternoon in which most Dores were challenged to find consistency on a regular basis although Coach John Williamson tried a multiple combinations and all eight on the travel team had their chance.
“We had too many opens early to beat anyone, let alone quality teams,” Williamson said, “but I thought we began to bowl better midway through the day. Our game with Delaware State was a good one but they were just a little better, then we finished it felt like we picked it up a notch and finished the day with strong games (221-241).”
The Commodores were assigned to play the other five highest seeds and got off on a winning note against St. Francis, winning 791-656 behind very strong anchor play from Josie Earnest. The senior All-American was money for most of the match, ending several games with three strikes.
However, there were a few cracks beginning to form and they manifested themselves in the second game against Maryland-Eastern Shore, who put up strong numbers that the Commodores were unable to answer. UMES won that game, 820-699 – VU’s weakest effort of the day by 92 pins.
A revamped lineup began the third game against Delaware State and with the exception of one game in the four-game Baker sets, produced scores at or north of 200. That fourth game, however, was a puny 166 in the second game and allowed DSU to get away with a well-earned 848-827 verdict.
Next up was Fairleigh Dickinson. Williamson reinserted star sophomore Brittni Hamilton after letting her sit out the third game. The All-American settled nicely into the second slot of the rotation and was a catalyst in getting the Black and Gold past the Scarlet Knights, 812-751.
The finale came against one of the hottest teams in the NCAA coming into the tournament. Adelphi had won 25 of its last 30 games and was ranked in the top 10 nationally for the first time in its history. Vanderbilt was just so-so first two games before finishing 221-241 and cooling off the upstarts from Long Island, 812-737.
During a long day of Bakers it is sometimes difficult to sort out individuals. That said, Josie Earnest was her “typical” self, which is to say she was steady and impressive as she often helped put away opponents or keep her teammates in the mix. Amanda Halter also drew good reviews for her performance, throwing eight strikes in her 14 attempts.
The tournament continues at the Hiester Lanes Saturday with traditional team games beginning at 9:30 with a quick rematch with UMES on tap to start the day. There will be six traditional team games Saturday.
Top Five Seeds (28 teams)
1. Maryland – Eastern Shore 4,155
2. Delaware State 4,023
3. Vanderbilt 3,940
4. FDU 3,885
5. Sacred Heart 3,835
*pin counts do not count toward team title
Vanderbilt def. St.Francis, 791-656
VU 183-177
VU 188-185
VU 217-185
VU 203-157
Maryland-Eastern Shore def. Vanderbilt, 830-699
MES 201-161
MES 236-181
MES 192-175
MES 201-182
Delaware State def Vanderbilt, 848-827
VU 225-185
DS 230-166
VU 237-224
DS 209-199
Vanderbilt def Fairleigh Dickinson, 812-751
VU 171-163
VU 217-202
VU 204-198
VU 220-188
Vanderbilt def Adelphi, 812-737
VU 190-183
A 198-160
VU 221-160
VU 241-196
