March 17, 2017
SMYRNA, TN—Kristin Quah got her groove back and that discovery played a significant role in helping her Vanderbilt team to a fourth place standing after the first day of the Columbia 300 Music City Classic.
Arkansas State is atop the standings after averaging 203.4 over five, 5-game Baker matches. McKendree is second and Fairleigh Dickinson third with a lot of bowling left this weekend. Vanderbilt averaged 199.2.
The Commodores chugged out of the gate in this power-packed field of 35 – which includes 19 of the nation’s Top 20 teams – but with Quah leading the way and some focused aggression, they closed the day on a high note.
They scored a narrow win over fifteenth-ranked St. Francis University to start the day, then laid an egg against No. 16 Long Island-Brooklyn in a defeat that apparently sent a wake-up call.
“We were saddled with a painful loss to LIU,” said senior Giselle Poss, “and we went into the next match angry that we left so many pins. That anger carried over. It is kind of sad we had to get angry to do well but sometimes you have to harness frustration to do well.”
Vandy responded with win over eleventh rated Sacred Heart in the third game, then exploded with back-to-back 1,000-plus games to make a big jump in the standings. Quah broke out of a month-long slump and had much to do with it.
“I felt good during warmups,” the sophomore from Singapore said afterwards. “I thought I was throwing it better than I have in a very long time – I was like – oh, I feel like me again!”
She began the day in the fourth spot of Vanderbilt’s rotation and was quickly moved to anchor when teammate Maria Bulanova was finding the range. The 2016 National Rookie of the Year threw strike after strike to keep the Commodores in the mix.
“I have been feeling a little better the last week,” Kristin said, “but I had been throwing it well below my expectation this spring. I’ve been working hard on some physical changes and last weekend worked on some tweaks. I feel like a lot of weight came off my shoulders.”
The Commodores tinkered with their leadoff using Adel Wahner, Jordan Newham and Katie Stark. Emily Rigney was steady in the two slot and Bulanova spent much of the day in the three hole, followed by Poss and Quah.
“This pattern hasn’t been easiest for most of us but Kris really stepped up today,” Poss noted. “Today she showed she was herself. I always just expect her to show up and it was just a matter of when.
Coach John Williamson thought his team didn’t have the competitive spark he wanted to see in the early going.
“There are some advantages in hosting a tournament but there are also disadvantages, there are a lot of distractions and almost everything is different from the norm. Yesterday’s practice wasn’t very good and I think it carried over. This is a strong field with 19 ranked teams and anyone thinking they can just show up and automatically jump up the leader board is making a mistake.”
The veteran Commodore coach was naturally pleased with Quah’s stellar play but not surprised.
“Kristin had a tremendous fall season and started the spring with a lot of expectations. I think she started pressing a bit too much. She has been working very hard She’s put in a lot of time to get the old Kristin back. Today was great to see, she propped us up when we needed a lift.”
One of the wins that stood out among VU’s four came against Delaware State, a Top 10 rated outfit that jumped to a modest lead midway through the match. The Commodores battled back from a 20-pin deficit heading into the fifth game and won going away in the last two frames.
The pulses quickened in the Mount Aloysius match when the Commodores began with the front seven strikes in Game 4. A pesky 9 pin was left in the eighth to remove the drama but the 259 pin count was most welcome.
Play resumes Saturday at 9:00 a.m. with five traditional team games. Admission is free to the public.
