NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Fresh off a win at the Bulldog Classic earlier this month, Vanderbilt return to the lanes for the Big Red Invitational this weekend in Lincoln, Nebraska.
The Commodores were previously scheduled to compete at the Mid-Winter Classic on Feb. 19-21, but that event was postponed to due a winter storm.
Here is more information on this weekend’s action:
Back to Nebraska: Vanderbilt returns to tournament action Friday -Sunday at the Big Red Invitational at Lincoln’s Hollywood Bowl. The trip to the Midwest plains marks Vandy’s first appearance at this event since 2011. For years the Commodores have competed in tournaments in the Northeast to encounter a wider mix of competition from the east coast
Big Red schedule: Friday’s five Baker games begin at 9 a.m., Saturday’s five traditional games start at 9:10 a.m. and Sunday’s action starts at 8:55 a.m. with one traditional game to complete the round robin and two team games (as opposed to the usual Baker brackets) to determine the final standings.
11-team field: There are some new faces among the entries including the top four rated teams in the latest NTCA poll. The odd number of programs means there will be one bye game for each team as well. Arkansas State, Central Missouri, Maryville, McKendree, Prairie View, Quincy, Upper Iowa, Valparaiso, Vanderbilt and Youngstown State will join host Nebraska
Follow on Livestream: Vandy will use its bowling YouTube platform to stream all of its games.
Mabel, Mabel, Set the Table: One of the hottest bowlers in the NCAA has been Vanderbilt’s Mabel Cummins. The sophomore is coming off MVP honors at last month’s Bulldog Classic and has made the all-tournament team in each of Vandy’s four tournaments during this herky-jerky season.
The On and Off Season: Normally by Valentine’s Day, Vanderbilt has competed in seven or eight tournaments. With March just around the corner, the Commodores have been in just four events due to a variety of circumstances due to the COVID-19 pandemic and/or weather.
Two weeks ago Vandy was planning to play in Arkansas State’s Mid-Winter Classic but a major snowstorm canceled that one. That storm also hit Nashville, paralyzing the city and forcing some practice sessions to be adjusted as coaches had trouble reaching the campus.
Vanderbilt head coach John Williamson noted recently his team is, “usually farther along,” but was learning resiliency.
