April 15, 2016
NEW BRUNSWICK—Vanderbilt’s mantra leading up to the championship bracket of the NCAA Championship was to stay cool and calm and hope to put pressure on the opponent.
That sound strategy seemed to evaporate quickly in the opening round game with Stephen F. Austin and the Commodores never fully recovered, losing to the Lady Jacks 4-1 and then to Sam Houston State, 4-2 to make an early exit from the Brunswick Zone site.
Vanderbilt had worked from that playbook during the seven qualifying games with reasonable success, earning the four-seed in a tightly bunched field. SFA was the 5 seed and was seeking some revenge from a loss to VU in the round-robin qualifier.
Vandy suffered back-to-back missed makeable spares early in the first game and went on to lose a low scoring contest, 164-158. That appeared to open the floodgates to other troubles as Stephen F. Austin would go on to win three of its needed four games with less than 200 pins.
While the Commodores were struggling, top-seeded Sam Houston was being shocked by No. 8 seed McKendree so when the two highly regarded programs met, instead of gunning for the right to advance in the winner’s bracket it was for survival in the event.
Vanderbilt won the first game but dropped the next three by narrow margins. All-American Robyn Renslow gave the ‘Dores a temporary reprieve with a 10th frame spare-nine-count to win Game 5, 204-203, but the Commodores couldn’t find high gear in the sixth game, losing 189-180, to end their run.
Vanderbilt tried a number of different lineups and rotation orders, hoping to find the right combination but on this day it was not to be.
The end of the season draws a close to the collegiate careers of Renslow, Amanda Fry, Tori Ferris and Olivia Wirtz.
