In the first round of bracket play, the starting lineup of Macy Jones, Dannielle Henderson, Haley Lindley, Saphyre Nofuente and Katelyn Abigania earned a three-pin victory, 214-211, in the opening game of the best-of-seven Baker match. The Dores would go on to equal or better that total in each of the next three games to complete a sweep of the Shockers and guarantee a place in the championship match.
Vanderbilt began the finals rematch with a 214-212 win, although Wichita State responded to take Game 2 as the two teams split the first four legs. The Shockers posted a 258 in the fifth game to go ahead for the first time in the matchup before going on to close out a 4-2 decision.
In between, Vandy swept Alabama A&M 4-0 in a rematch of Friday’s final preliminary round Baker match.
“As a coach or a parent one of the hardest things is watching your kids go through the ‘yuck.’ This is three weeks in a row that we’ve had the lesson of what the end of Sunday presents and we’re still learning it,” said first-year head coach Josie Barnes. “They really are getting better week to week, but our blessing is that we have a group of competitors so they don’t really see that right now. They only see the second-place finish. The next two weeks we will work on the things that help us later on in the day so that we’re better prepared when that skill set is required.”
The Dores conclude the fall season at the FDU Jersey Jamboree, scheduled to be held in Hackensack, New Jersey, Nov. 20-22.
The Dores’ matches will be streamed live on YouTube and Facebook. Fans can follow Vanderbilt bowling on X and Instagram at @VandyBowling for updates.
