Huskers in Third at Big Red Invite After First Day

Lincoln - The Nebraska bowling team sits in third place after day one of competition at the Big Red Invitational with a record of 3-2.  The Huskers dropped their first two matches of the day before closing the day with three straight wins, including one over second-ranked Vanderbilt to end the day.

"After a slow start this morning, the team bounced back in historic fashion," said Head Coach Paul Klempa. "Putting together the scores they posted the last three matches showed the character that this group possesses. We look to continue to build on this momentum from the start tomorrow."

The Huskers faced No. 8 Youngstown State for their first match of the day. The bowlers started off strong, winning the first game 171-146, propelled by four spares and two strikes in the last five frames of the game. The momentum rolled into game two as the team had three strikes and four spares to begin the game. Though Cassidy Ray had a spare in the ninth frame and Crystal Elliott had two strikes followed by eight pins in the tenth frame, NU fell 200-212. Rebounding in the third game, NU collected four strikes in the first five frames on its way to a narrow 192-189 win. This brought the team to a narrow 563-547 lead heading into the fourth game. The bowlers fell in the fourth game 168-212 to fall behind 731-759. In the fifth game, NU fell 157-234 to lose the first matchup 888-993.

Next up on the schedule was Upper Iowa. NU fought hard, but fell in the first two games 187-194 and 178-213. Down 365-407, the Huskers powered on to their third game led by seven strikes and four spares to a 222-163 victory. Despite the bowlers' best efforts with four strikes and four spares, NU fell 180-184 in the fourth game. Heading into the final game, the Huskers started out strong with spares in the second, fourth and sixth frames and a strike in the third. Despite getting strikes in the seventh through ninth frames, NU fell 171-195 in the fifth game. Overall, NU narrowly lost the second matchup 938-941. Through two games, Nebraska remained in ninth place.

Looking to gain some momentum, the team went on to its third match of the day against No. 19 Valparaiso. The Huskers' starting lineup consisted of Gwen Maeha, Amara Smith Speights, Kayla Verstraete, Ray and Elliott. The first game led to a narrow 178-172 victory for NU. Heading into the second game, Michelle Guarro was switched in for Maeha. The Huskers started out with seven consecutive strikes before Ray bowled another strike in the ninth frame while Elliot finished with a spare and a strike on the team's way to a 246-210 win. In the third game, Guarro opened up with a spare followed by five strikes before Smith Speights got a spare in the seventh frame off of a tough split. Ray bowled another spare as Elliott knocked down a strike with nine more pins to follow as the Huskers won the third game 224-206. NU tallied a total of 11 strikes and one spare on their way to a 279-183 win in the fourth game. The team rolled on as Guarro bowled a spare and Smith Speights, Verstraete, Ray, Elliott and Guarro got five consecutive strikes from the second through sixth frames. With another three spares and two strikes, the Huskers took game five 238-213 on their way to claiming their first matchup win of the day, 1,165-984. The victory brought Nebraska up to sixth in the standings.

"Michelle Guarro came in to the lineup and added just the spark we needed to get the team performing and post the scores we did the last three matches," said Klempa. "She was tremendous just when her team needed her to be."

Directly after its win, NU challenged Quincy in the fourth matchup of the day. The Huskers took an early lead, bowling their way to a 210-194 victory for the first game. Moving on, NU found success with five strikes and six spares on the  way to a  214-181 win. NU found victory again in the third game, bowling a 203-162 win. Continuing forward, NU tallied seven strikes en route to a 206-181 victory in game four. The Huskers dominated the fifth game, with eight strikes and one spare in the first nine frames before Elliott closed the game with a strike and a spare in the 10th frame in a 267-213 win. Nebraska won its second matchup of the day 1,100-931, but  remained in sixth place.

Last up for the Huskers was second-ranked Vanderbilt. NU started quickly with a spare and four strikes in the first five frames. In the seventh, eighth and ninth frames, the strikes started up again for the bowlers. Elliott cleaned house with three strikes in the tenth frame to give the Huskers an early 255-226 victory. Game two was filled with ten strikes and two spares, as the bowlers went on to an enormous 259-191 win. NU fell 212-232 in game three, but still led the matchup 726-649 going into the fourth match. The Huskers rebounded in the fourth game as they took a huge 246-211 win. NU lost the final set 234-245, but won the overall matchup 1,206-1,105 to climb into third place.

The tournament resumes Saturday morning at 9:10 a.m. as the Huskers start off with a bye.

Big Red Invitational Standings After Day One
1. No. 3 Arkansas State (5,607)
2. No. 2 Vanderbilt (5,316)
3. No. 4 Nebraska (5,316)
4. No. 1 McKendree (5,273)
5. No. 8 Youngstown State (5,229)
6. No. 9 Maryville (5,212)
7. No. 22 Central Missouri (5,023)
8. No. 11 Lincoln Memorial (4,876)
9. No. 19 Valparaiso (4,826)
10. Upper Iowa (4,596)
11. Quincy (4,410)