Huskers Head to Texas for Prairie View Invitational

#3 Nebraska Cornhuskers at Prairie View Invitational at the ITRC

Friday-Sunday, Jan. 27-29, 12:15 p.m., 9:25 a.m., 8:25 a.m. (CT) – Arlington, Texas (International Training and Research Center)

Live Stream: Bowl TV

Huskers Head to Texas for Prairie View Invitational
The third-ranked Nebraska bowling team returns to action following its first tournament victory of the season this Friday through Sunday at the Prairie View Invitational at the International Training and Research Center in Arlington, Texas. The tournament is hosted by 15th-ranked Prairie View A&M. The Cornhuskers have won the Prairie View Invitational in each of the last four seasons.

Twelve teams will compete at the tournament, including 11 ranked teams and one other team receiving votes in the latest National Tenpin Coaches Association Top 25 Poll.

Each of the top-five teams in the country will be represented at the loaded tournament in Texas, including Nebraska, top-ranked Arkansas State, No. 2 Sam Houston State, No. 4 McKendree and No. 5 Stephen F. Austin. Top-10 teams in sixth-ranked Vanderbilt, No. 7 Fairleigh Dickinson and 10th-ranked Maryland-Eastern Shore will also bowl this weekend at the tournament. In addition to Prairie View A&M, the list of teams also includes No. 22 North Carolina A&T and No. 25 Valparaiso and Jackson State, which is receiving votes in the latest poll.

The Huskers opened the 2017 calendar year with a first-place finish at the Mid-Winter Invitational in Jonesboro, Ark., the weekend of Jan. 13-15. Meghan Straub led the way for the Huskers individually, finishing second overall with an average of 210. Julia Bond finished third with an average of 209.6, while Gazmine Mason posted an average of 191.4 to finish 12th overall and help the Husker effort. The Big Red defeated No. 4 McKendree in the opening round of the championship tournament to clinch a spot in the final and took down the Bearcats again in the championship match, 4-2. The Huskers posted a strong record of 9-2 on the weekend with six wins over ranked teams.

Competition begins Friday morning at 12:15 p.m. (CT) with five sets of five-game Baker matches, followed by five traditional team matches on Saturday morning, beginning at 9:25 a.m. Teams will play one more traditional team match on Sunday morning, beginning at 8:25 a.m., with combined results determining the seeding for the bracket-play championship tournament, in which each team will play two rounds of best-of-seven Baker matches.

Prairie View Invitational Notes
The Huskers have won each of the last four editions of the Prairie View Invitational. Nebraska also finished fourth at the tournament in 2012. In 2016, the Huskers defeated Arkansas State, 4-3, in the championship match. Julia Bond led the way for the Big Red with an average of 220, good for fifth overall. Gazmine Mason finished 18th overall with an average of 199 and Melanie Crawford finished 19th with an average of 198.5.

Huskers Win Mid-Winter Invitational Title
Nebraska picked up its first tournament title of the season, winning the Mid-Winter Invitational in Jonesboro, Ark., the weekend of Jan. 13-15. NU went 9-2 on the weekend, defeating six ranked teams in the process. The Mid-Winter Invitational field featured 10 ranked teams, including eight of the top-10 teams in the nation. Nebraska defeated No. 4 McKendree in the opening round of the championship tournament, and then took down the Bearcats again in the final, 4-2.

Top-Three Finishers In Arkansas
Meghan Straub and Julia Bond led the way for the Huskers at the Mid-Winter Invitational, finishing second and third, respectively, in the individual standings. Straub paced the Huskers with an average of 210, while Bond was right behind with an average of 209.6. The Mid-Winter Invitational was the first top-five finish of Straub’s career.

Bond Wins U.S. Amateur Championship, Named to Team USA
Julia Bond was crowned United States Amateur Bowling Champion and was named to Team USA for the 2017 season after winning the women’s U.S. Amateur final at the 2017 United States Bowling Congress Team USA Trials the week of Jan. 4-8 in Henderson, Nev. Bond finished fourth overall at the trials with 54 ranking points. Kayla Johnson, a Husker from 2010-2012, was also named to Team USA for the 2017 season by the National Selection Committee based on her performances throughout the week, while Shannon Pluhowsky, who competed for Nebraska from 2000-05, was selected by the National Selection Committee based on her submitted resume. Husker senior Gazmine Mason and junior Kelly Belzeski also competed at the trials.

Nebraska Third in NTCA Poll
In the latest NTCA Top-25 poll, Nebraska placed third behind Arkansas State and Sam Houston State. The Red Wolves garnered a total of 28 first-place votes, while SHSU received eight first-place votes. The Huskers received a total of 1,170 points in the poll. McKendree was ranked fourth, while Stephen F. Austin rounded out the top five.

NU Notches Third-Place Finish at Warhawk Invitational
Nebraska ended the 2016 calendar year with a third-place finish the weekend of Nov. 11-13 at the Warhawk Invitational in Kenosha, Wis. The Huskers went 9-3 on the weekend, defeating six ranked teams. NU entered the final day as the third seed, but was swept in the opening round of the championship tournament by Vanderbilt. The Huskers rebounded with a win over Sacred Heart to reach the third-place match, where the Big Red took down Vanderbilt in seven games. Meghan Straub led the Huskers with a 209.6 average, while Julia Bond posted a 209.2 average and Briana Zabierek added a 200 average.

Huskers Finish Second at KAT Klash
Nebraska posted a strong second-place finish at the KAT Klash the weekend of Nov. 4-6 at Emerald Lanes in Houston. The Huskers went 9-1 over the first two days of competition, leading the tournament heading into the final day. The Huskers dropped their opening round match in the championship tournament, but rebounded with a win over fourth-ranked Vanderbilt to reach the final. Sam Houston State defeated the Huskers by a score of 4.5-1.5 to win the title. NU went 10-3 overall during the tournament, defeating eight ranked teams. Gazmine Mason posted a 206.2 average to lead the Big Red.

Huskers Open Season with Fifth-Place Finish
Nebraska opened its season with a fifth-place finish at the Wildcat Invitational at Boardwalk Bowl in Orlando, Fla., the weekend of Oct. 21-23. NU defeated 16th-ranked Monmouth in the fifth-place match, one of three ranked teams the Huskers took down on the weekend. NU went 6-6 overall during the tournament.

Looking Ahead
The Huskers will return to action in two weeks at the SFA Stormin’ Ladyjack Invitational in Conroe, Texas the weekend of Feb. 10-12. Nebraska finished third overall at the tournament last season, and finished second in 2015.

Prairie View Invitational at the ITRC - Teams Competing
No. 3 Nebraska
No. 15 Prairie View A&M
No. 1 Arkansas State
No. 2 Sam Houston State
No. 4 Mckendree
No. 5 Stephen F. Austin
No. 6 Vanderbilt
No. 7 Fairleigh Dickinson
No. 10 Maryland-Eastern Shore
No. 22 North Carolina A&T
No. 25 Texas Southern
Jackson State (RV)