Belzeski Leads Huskers on First Day of NCAA Championship

Baton Rouge, La. - The top-seeded Nebraska bowling team went 2-3 in five traditional matches on Thursday and sits in fifth place following the first block of the Qualifying Round at the National Collegiate Bowling Championship at the Raising Cane's River Center in Baton Rouge, La.

The second block of the Qualifying Round will take place Friday morning, beginning at 10:50 a.m with matches against No. 6 Fairleigh Dickinson and No. 2 McKendree.

McKendree leads the overall standings, which are based on overall record, after going 5-0 on Thursday. Vanderbilt is second with a 4-1 record, while Fairleigh Dickinson and No. 7 Stephen F. Austin are tied for third with records of 3-2. No. 3 Arkansas State is tied with NU for fifth with a 2-3 record.

Kelly Belzeski leads the field with an average of 227.4 through the five games. Gazmine Mason is sixth with an average of 211.8, while Raquel Orozco has an average of 202.3 in three games bowled for the Big Red.

The Huskers began the competition with a 914-875 win over No. 8 Maryland Eastern Shore. Mason led the way for the Huskers with a score of 206, while Belzeski added a 201.

NU took down fourth-seeded Sam Houston State, 1,147-994 in the second match of the day. Belzeski led the Huskers' high-scoring effort with a score of 258, while Orozco added a 248 and Julia Bond posted a 237 as all five Huskers fired scores above 200.

Following their two wins, the Huskers dropped their last three matches of the day. No. 7 Stephen F. Austin took down the Huskers by a score of 1,082-996 in the third match. Belzeski continued her strong play, posting a score of 234, while Bond shot a 214. 

Arkansas State defeated the Huskers by a score of 1,033-1,018 in the fourth match. Belzeski matched her high game of the day with a score of 258 to pace the Huskers, while Mason posted her best effort of the day with a 244. 

In the final match of the block, No. 5 Vanderbilt took down NU by a score of 1,044-921. Mason led the Huskers with a score of 210.

Following block two of the Qualifying Round, teams will be seeded for the best-of-seven Baker format championship tournament, which begins Friday at 3:30 p.m. Round 2 will follow at 5:10 p.m. Rounds 3-5 will begin at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, with the championship match at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday evening. The final will air live on ESPNU and Watch ESPN, while the Qualifying and Bracket Rounds will be streamed live on NCAA.com.

National Collegiate Bowling Championship
Baton Rouge, La. - Raising Cane's River Center
Overall Standings (Record)
1. McKendree (5-0)
2. Vanderbilt (4-1)
3. Fairleigh Dickinson (3-2)
3. Stephen F. Austin (3-2)
5. Nebraska (2-3)
5. Arkansas State (2-3)
7. Sam Houston State (1-4)
8. Maryland Eastern Shore (0-5)
Thursday, April 13 - Qualifying Round 1 (Five Traditional Matches - 2-3 Record)
1. #1 Nebraska 914, #8 Maryland Eastern Shore 875
2. #1 Nebraska 1,174, #4 Sam Houston State 994
3. #7 Stephen F. Austin 1,082, #1 Nebraska 996
4. #3 Arkansas State 1,033, #1 Nebraska 1,018
5. #5 Vanderbilt 1,044, #1 Nebraska 921
Huskers in the Individual Standings
1. Kelly Belzeski - 227.4
6. Gazmine Mason - 211.8
16. Raquel Orozco - 202.3 (3 games)
26. Julia Bond - 193.2
39. Meghan Straub - 180.4
44. Briana Zabierek - 162.5 (2 games)