Nov. 21, 2015
MILLSBORO, DE— Kristin Quah’s season’s best game sparked Vanderbilt into the championship bracket of the Hawk Classic Saturday. The Commodores will play Monmouth in Sunday’s opening round while top-seed Sam Houston squares off with Central Missouri on the other end of the title pairing.
Vanderbilt, rated No. 3 in the nation, won five of its six matches for the second straight day and finished third in total pin count.
The Commodores had won four of its five matches before meeting 11th ranked and host Maryland-Eastern Shore in the day’s last match. Quah, just a freshman, led her team to its best score of the tournament (1,022) with eight strikes in a row for a 252 as Vandy topped the Hawks by about 100 pins.
Quah’s big game was the day’s highlight and the Singapore product liked the team’s energy in that final game, noting the team wanted to finish strong.
“I was able to find a good match with my ball as it had a very good shape in the lane,” Quah said. “I had changed balls earlier in the afternoon and after that I concentrated on getting my swing straight.”
Kristen said college bowling is very different from her previous experiences.
“I feel as though I’m playing a new game,” she says. “I had some experience in team play but nothing like this. I’ve never seen lanes this dry after all the bowling that’s done on them in a day.”
Singapore is 14 hours ahead of the central time zone but her mother, Siew, stayed up through the night to watch, texting Kristin at the end of the competition to double-check the team scores.
Vandy’s lone loss came to No. 2 ranked Fairleigh Dickinson in the day’s fifth match, botching a slim lead with three opens in the ninth frame. Other wins came against New Jersey City, Long Island-Brooklyn, Franklin Pierce, and Sacred Heart.
Sunday’s best of seven Bakers begin at 7:30 Central.
