STRUTHERS, Ohio — No. 2 Vanderbilt bowling advanced to the championship match of the Chelsea Gilliam Penguin Classic hosted by Youngstown State as the competition at the Holiday Bowl concluded Sunday.
The Commodores defeated a pair of top-six teams in their first two matches of the day before falling to defending national champion No. 1 Jacksonville State.
“I thought today showed three different phases of where we’re at,” head coach Josie Barnes said. “Match 1 was a test of patience and grit. Between switching pairs midway through and every game being won on the left lane, the girls showed their ability to stay patient and take advantage of the better lane. In Match 2, they showed they can grab momentum and run with it. Match 3 exposed the area we need to improve if we want to win championships.”
In the first round of bracket play, the Commodores traded wins with the host Penguins—ranked sixth nationally—claiming games with totals of 214, 237 and 209. After Youngstown State tied the match 3-3, Vandy rolled a 215 in the best-of-seven Baker match format to advance to face top-seeded Nebraska
The Cornhuskers, No. 5 in the preseason poll, defeated the Dores in the opening game of the second round, only to see Vanderbilt respond with four straight 200-plus scores highlighted by a 279 to clinch a 4-1 Commodore victory.
In the final, the Gamecocks won the first game by 16 pins before recording scores over 240 in each of the next three contests.
“Physically they’ve worked their tails off in preseason and we’ve been focusing on the mental approach, but that match revealed we have to get to work on how we approach championship matches,” said Barnes. “It’s hard to slow down a speeding train, and it was clear our brains were running at high speed. Anyone who has played sports at a high level knows that’s not a recipe for success.
“That being said, coming out of the first weekend at 11-2 is huge. They won some big matches, made some clutch shots, and they’re committed to being better next time out.”
The Commodores are next in action when Sacred Heart plays host to Destination Orlando beginning Oct. 30.