NCAA Regional
Bowling
LANSING, Mich. – Vanderbilt Bowling dropped a heartbreaking Mega Match to four-seed Wichita State in the final at the National Collegiate Bowling Championship Lansing Regional Saturday at Royal Scot Golf & Bowl.
The Commodores started their day with a 2-0 sweep of Fairleigh Dickinson to secure a spot in the final. Vanderbilt secured the traditional point by a score of 1,083-1,010. Kailee Channell paced the Dores individually, shooting 258. Haley Lindley also contributed a 243 game to Vandy’s total.
Vandy led by 50 pins after the first Baker game, but similar to Friday, the Knights gained momentum, cutting the Dores’ lead to 10 heading into the final game. The Commodores bowled a day-high 274 in Game 5 to end the Mega Match and secure their spot in the final.
“I felt like we started the traditional game well through five or six frames, threw a lot of strikes, and set the tone in that regard,” head coach John Williamson said. “I felt pretty good after we were up 50 after Game 1 of the Baker, but to FDU’s credit, they made it a game. Luckily, this time we had lane choice in Game 5, and our girls were able to execute.”
Wichita State earned a 1,031-928 win in the traditional game to begin the day’s finale. WSU opened with a 202-181 win, to which the Dores responded with a 202-173 win of their own. The Shockers took a one-pin lead in Game 3 and held on to take the match 1,044-1,002.
“I felt like it was a fairly well-played game across the board,” Williamson said. “I felt like in the beginning we might have been a touch firm with our shots. We left a lot of nine-counts that were striking this morning, which I think probably made the difference in the traditional game. And then the Baker game I thought was well-played by both teams. We had a couple of missed-makables and splits, but Wichita State played pretty well, and they were able to do it.”
