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3/23/2006 Vanderbilt’s fifth ranked bowling team travels to Waukegan, Ill., Friday for its last regular season tournament of the season, the Brunswick Zone Fountain Square. The field contains several frequent opponents, including Arkansas State, Central Missouri, Minnesota State and Nebraska but there are also three eastern teams added to the mix. Farleigh Dickinson, the NCAA’s No. 2 rated team and fourth-ranked New Jersey City along with Delaware State gives this event a different dimension. The Commodores are coming off a third place finish in their own Music City Classic last weekend and have been among the leaders in every tournament since January 1. “We would like to think we have successfully made our case to earn a berth among the eight teams that will be chosen for the NCAA Championship in April,” says Coach John Williamson. “However, we make no assumptions so we will be focused but we also want to bowl loose. I want us to enjoy the competition and enjoy the opportunity that is before us.” In a season of firsts and high notes, last weekend’s home tournament produced some memories that will not soon be forgotten. In the process of beating Nebraska for the second time this year, Kaitlin Reynolds produced a 299 game that brought the entire bowling center to a near stand-still. “Katy showed outstanding concentration and composure,” Williamson said in recalling her 11 consecutive strikes. “Her post-game comment that she was just trying to throw as good a ball as possible rather than think about the possible outcomes is exactly how we want to focus during competition.” While the 299 was spectacular, Williamson was equally impressed with difficult spare conversions that both Tara Kane and Michelle Peloquin notched in the course of the victory. “We beat Nebraska by 14 pins and we needed Tara to convert a 3-6-7 split in the tenth frame (right after Reynolds’ big finish) and Michelle to handle a 6-7-10 a few frames earlier to do so. That was also impressive execution and composure, the difference in this case between defeat and victory.” Friday’s competition begins at 5:30 with four blocks of five Baker Games. Competition resumes Saturday at 12:15 with four team games and concludes Sunday with match play. The tournament is at the Brunswick Zone Fountain Square at 631 Lakehurst Road in Waukegan. |
