ARLINGTON, TX—Vanderbilt defeated two of the nation’s top teams and freshman Katie Stark had a breakout day but the Commodores still slipped from third to fifth place based on total pin fall of the two days of the Prairie View Invitational. The Commodores upset Fairleigh Dickinson and chased down Central Missouri in a wild finish to end the day of team games with three wins against losses to Nebraska and Stephen F. Austin.
Stark, the southpaw from Orlando, strung games of 215-233-263-265-217 for a lofty 238 average, second best in the competition to Arkansas State’s 2014 NCAA Player of the Year Sarah Lokker, who averaged 246.
FDU leads the event heading into Sunday’s final followed by Nebraska, Arkansas State and Central Missouri. Vanderbilt is fifth with Maryland-Eastern Shore, Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston State right behind in the tough 12-team field. There is still one team game left in the round-robin to begin Sunday; Vandy will face Valparaiso and a strong pin count could push it into the championship bracket as it is less than 100 pins out of third.
“Katie had a good start in an otherwise uninspiring first game and she turned it on after that,” Coach John Williamson said. “She provided an important spark and she bowls with a confidence that was infectious to the team. Amanda in the two spot fed off that and they played off each other well. And I thought G (Giselle Poss) was also able to carry the momentum much of the day.”
Williamson noted that as impressive as Stark was with her back-to-back 260’s, she had a missed makeable spare in each game to prevent even higher scores.
“We didn’t win the Stephen F. game but I thought we competed well at the end,” Williamson said, “and I was very pleased with how we closed against Central. Giselle struck out and Robyn doubled, applying pressure to Central’s very good anchor, who split and opened.” Vandy slid by the Jennies by 17 pins in a high scoring dual.
Nicole Mosesso tried to bowl for the first time in two weeks but her back flared up after about a game and a half and Rebeca Reguero was inserted last in the FDU game, providing an important strike-out in the 10th. Sunday’s team game starts at 8:25 CT with two rounds of bracket play about 9:45.
Vanderbilt Results
Nebraska 1,058-914
Stark 215
Fry 171
Reguero 150
Poss 193
Renslow 195
VU 973 North Carolina A&T 838
Stark 233
Fry 193
Reguero 159
Poss 195
Renslow 193
Stephen F. Austin 1,060-1,028
Stark 263
Fry 190
Mosesso 180
Poss 162
Renslow 233
VU 1,071 FDU 1,044
Stark 265
Fry 245
Mosesso/Reguero 171
Poss 236
Renslow 154
VU 1,097 Central Missouri 1,080
Stark 217
Fry 212
Reguero
Poss 257
Renslow 238
