Huskers Hold Steady at Stormin' Ladyjack Invite

Houston, Texas - The top-ranked Nebraska bowling team went 5-0 in five traditional matches on Saturday and sits in second place after two days of competition at the SFA Stormin' Ladyjack Invitational at Copperfield Bowling Center in Houston, Texas. The Cornhuskers have a total pinfall of 10,417 through the two days, and they defeated four ranked teams on the afternoon.

No. 3 McKendree sits in first place overall with a pinfall of 10,550. The Huskers and the Bearcats will square off in the opening round of Sunday's best-of-seven Baker format championship tournament, with the winner moving on to the final. No. 14 Wisconsin-Whitewater is third with a pinfall of 10,143, while host Stephen F. Austin is fourth with a pinfall of 10,082.

Julia Bond led the way for the Huskers in the individual standings, finishing second overall with a staggering average of 228, her highest of the season and the fourth-highest average of her career. Gazmine Mason finished fifth overall with an average of 219, while Kelly Belzeski finished 12th with an average of 208.2.

The Huskers began the day with a win over ninth-ranked Maryland-Eastern Shore, 970-945, before taking down No. 12 Monmouth by a score of 1,014-849.

NU defeated No. 8 Delaware State by a score of 1,075-912, before scoring its highest total of the day in a 1,176-937 win over No. 18 North Carolina A&T.

The Big Red closed the day with a 1,072-852 win over Lincoln Memorial.

NU's opening round match against McKendree on Sunday is set to begin at 8:30 a.m. The winner of the NU-McKendree match will move on to the final, while the loser will face the winner of the Wisconsin-Whitewater-Stephen F. Austin match for a spot in the final.

SFA Stormin' Ladyjack Invitational Standings (Pinfall)
1. McKendree (10,550)
2. Nebraska (10,417)
3. Wisconsin-Whitewater (10,143)
4. Stephen F. Austin (10,082)
5. Arkansas State (10,070)
6. Sam Houston State (9,924)
7. Vanderbilt (9,905)
8. LIU Brooklyn (9,783)
9. Maryland-Eastern Shore (9,714)
10. UAB (9,614)
11. Delaware State (9,492)
12. Prairie View A&M (9,390)
13. North Carolina A&T (9,361)
14. Youngstown State (9,326)
15. Tulane (9,258)
16. Monmouth (9,254)
17. Sacred Heart (9,248)
18. Texas Southern (9,216)
19. Louisiana Tech (9,020)
20. Maryville (9,016)
21. Lincoln Memorial (8,807)
22. Jackson State (8,789)
23. Southern (8,207)

SFA Stormin' Ladyjack Invitational
Houston, Texas - Copperfield Bowling Center
Friday, Feb. 10 - Five-Game Baker Format Matches - 4-1 Record
1. #1 Nebraska 950, Maryville 878
2. #1 Nebraska 1,008, #10 Sacred Heart 894
3. #1 Nebraska 1,143, #21 UAB 1,045
4. #3 McKendree 1,026, #1 Nebraska 981
5. #1 Nebraska 1,028, #24 Youngstown State 961
Saturday, Feb. 11 - Traditional Team Matches 5-0 Record
1. #1 Nebraska 970, #9 Maryland-Eastern Shore 945
2. #1 Nebraska 1,014, #12 Monmouth 849
3. #1 Nebraska 1,075, #8 Delaware State 912
4. #1 Nebraska 1,176, #18 North Carolina A&T 937
5. #1 Nebraska 1,072, Lincoln Memorial 852
Huskers in the Individual Standings (Average)
2. Julia Bond (228)
5. Gazmine Mason (219)
12. Kelly Belzeski (208.2)
19. Raquel Orozco (204.6)
21. Meghan Straub (201.6)