NEW ORLEANS, La. – Vanderbilt bowling earned the top spot on the Colonial Lanes Classic leaderboard Saturday after winning five of five traditional matches to close out the qualifying rounds.
“Today was a really good day,” head coach John Williamson said. “We played very consistently. We were in some close matches but were able to reliably extend leads and win matches in the 8-9-10 frames. I’m proud of the ladies for competing round after round. The shots weren’t the easiest, but they controlled the pocket and limited unforced errors.”
The Dores used a lineup of Kailee Channell, Kaylee Hitt, Alyssa Ballard, Victoria Varano and Isabel Allen all day. Ballard was the top Commodore finisher, earning fifth place on the individual leaderboard after posting scores of 181, 215, 219, 221 and 255. Hitt also earned a spot in the top 10, finishing ninth and bowling games of 221, 202, 194, 223 and 211.
Vandy, who was ranked second after Day 1, downed top-seeded Sacred Heart in Round 1 by a score of 1,033-997. Hitt bowled a 227 to lead the Dores. She was aided by a 218 game from Victoria Varano and a 217 from Kailee Channell.
The Commodores bested Prairie View A&M 986-979 in the second round, its closest match of the day. Vandy earned back-to-back wins over Oklahoma Christian (988-906) and Alabama A&M (1,054-975). Game 5 was a decisive 1,088-981 win over Sam Houston State, which was led by Ballard’s day-high 255.
Stephen F. Austin is ranked second after two days, 162 pins behind the Dores. Sam Houston State and Sacred Heart are the third and fourth-seeded teams and complete the tournament’s championship bracket. Ashtyn Woods of Wichita State earned the day’s top individual finish, compiling scores of 235, 226, 228, 204 and 227.
The Commodores will take on the Ladyjacks in the first round of bracket play Sunday at 8:30 a.m. Fans can keep up with the action by watching on YouTube and following @VandyBowling on X/Twitter of updates.
