Huskers Set to Compete at NCAA Bowling Championship

The Nebraska bowling team will compete at the sixth-annual NCAA Women’s Bowling Championship on April 9-11 at Super Bowl Lanes in Detroit, Mich. <?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>

Competition will start on Thursday, April 9, with the qualifying rounds, where each team bowls four five-person team games and five four-game Baker matches. Total pinfall during the qualifying round will determine each team’s seed in bracket play. Friday’s competition will include four rounds of Baker-style games to determine the final two teams to compete in the championship on Saturday.

The Huskers, who have earned their sixth-consecutive NCAA championship bid, are one of eight teams to compose the championship field, including Arkansas State, Central Missouri, Delaware State, Fairleigh Dickinson, Vanderbilt, New Jersey City and the 2008 National Champions Maryland-Eastern Shore. NU earns its championship berth after taking first place at four tournaments during the 2008-09 season.

Tickets may be purchased through Super Bowl Lanes at 734-459-6070. Complete coverage of the championship can be found at the Detroit Sports Commission website at: http://www.detroitsports.org/index.php?option=com_events&task=view_detail&agid=10&year=2009&month=4&day=9&Itemid=56

Understanding the NCAA Bowling Tournament
The morning session on Thursday will consist of regular-style games, while the afternoon session will be a series of Baker-style games. The pinfall on Thursday will be used to seed Friday’s tournament, which will be similar to the College World Series bracket. The team who averages the most on Thursday will be the No. 1 seed, while the team who averages the least will be the No. 8 seed. The teams will go head-to-head in a double elimination tournament on Friday. All games on Friday and Saturday will be in a Baker-style format.

In the Baker-style format, each team will have five players bowling two frames a piece to complete a ten-frame game. The two teams competing will play best four-out-of-seven Baker-style games to determine a winner.

Nebraska's NCAA History
This week the Huskers will participate in their sixth-consecutive NCAA Championship tournament since bowling became an NCAA-sanctioned sport in 2004.

NU captured its first NCAA championship title in 2004. The Huskers then went on to claim their second title in April of 2005. Under Head Coach Bill Straub and Assistant Coach Paul Klempa, the Husker women’s bowling teams have won seven national titles.

While team accomplishments have been paramount, numerous Huskers have enjoyed individual success. NU has had at least one All-American in each year for 19 years, dating back to its club program days. Since 1989, 20 Huskers have combined for a total of 41 first-, second- and third-team All-America awards, while Kim Berke (1992), Diandra Hyman (2000), Shannon Pluhowsky (2001, 2004, 2005), Lindsay Baker (2006) and Amanda Burgoyne (2007) were each chosen as the National College Bowler of the Year.