Jan. 28, 2011
READING, Pa. – Vanderbilt zipped past all six of its opponents in the opening round of the 28-team Kutztown Invitational and with its red hot pin counts, tops a tournament for the third straight week.
The Commodores lead second place Maryland-Eastern Shore, who also went 6-0 on the day, by 114 pins as the field turns to traditional team games Saturday. The top four teams in pin count following tomorrow’s play will enter a match play Baker series Sunday morning to determine the title.
The Commodores ended their day plus-432 (pins over 200 average) with 22 of their 24 Bakers north of 200 and another at 198, a performance very similar to last week’s numbers at Nebraska’s Big Red Invite. They averaged 218 over their 24 games, never deviating from their starting order of Brittni Hamilton, Kayla Rhoades, Amanda Halter, Jessica Earnest and Samantha Hesley.
“Everyone was pretty much dialed in but Kayla was really good today,” Coach John Williamson noted. “She understood the shot and she constantly executed it.”
To give an idea of over-all team balance, using frame averages on the day, Hamilton (23.8), Rhoades (22.7)) Earnest (21.6) and Hesley (24.3) were hard to distinguish and Halter was not far behind at 19.8.
“I wanted to help today because the last couple of weeks I haven’t been much help,” Rhoades said of her steady effort. “We had so much fun out there. We were communicating and adjusting quickly to lane conditions.”
Rhoades said following the All-American Hamilton makes her job easier.
“Brittni is such a great lead-off. She has lots of energy and she is so steady, we know she will make the consistent shot so we get a tremendous read on how the lane will play.”
Williamson said the team has extra incentive here.
“This spring has been about redemption for our team,” he says. “The last time most of the teams here saw us was last fall and we were not very good. Our girls have a lot of pride and we came out with something to prove.”
Ironically, it was here at the Hiester Lanes that Vanderbilt had its poorest showing of the year last season.
It was that kind of day that Hesley’s tremendous anchor frame average was just a footnote. But the team realizes it’s just one day in a three-day event.
“We know tomorrow that it’s a new day and we must come in with a winning attitude,” Rhoades says. “We can’t just put it in cruise control.”
Team Leader Board
Vanderbilt 5232
Maryland-Eastern Shore 5118
Fairleigh Dickinson 4878
Delaware State 4832
Stephen F. Austin 4817
Kutztown 4811
Vanderbilt’s Friday Results
Vanderbilt 843 Florida A & M 737
FAM 226-217
VU 204-165
VU 204-201
VU 218-145
Vanderbilt 874 Valparaiso 791
VU 222-182
VU 228-225
VU 221-167
Valpo 217-203
Vanderbilt 855 SUNYIT 728
VU 198-166
VU 216-212
VU 224-200
VU 217-150
Vanderbilt 904 Norfolk State 820
VU 218=175
VU 205-203
VU 247-206
NS 236-234
Vanderbilt 844 St Francis (NY) 768 VU 216-188
VU 233-186
SF 186-180
VU 215-198
Vanderbilt 844 St. Peters 802
VU 241-209
VU 215-171
VU 226-224
VU 230-109
