Huskers Close Out Northeast Classic

The Nebraska bowling team went 2-1 on the final day of the Northeast Classic, finishing in ninth place and improving their final record to 8-5 with a pinfall of 13,569 and an average of 202.5. Going into the day, NU was initially in ninth place with a chance to finish as high as seventh. 

In the first of three best-four-of-seven Baker matches, the Huskers faced off against the 11th-ranked Sacred Heart Pioneers. Starting for the Big Red would be Haley Swindle, Lani Breedlove, Kayla Starr, Karina Capron and Jillian Martin. In their first game, the Huskers were stellar, bowling 248 to the Pioneers’ 188, striking eight straight to take game one in dominant fashion. The Scarlet and Cream kept on throwing strikes, with a triple to start game two. A tough 7-10 split was all that kept them from a perfect game, as they struck eight-straight to end another dominant win 264-178, increasing their lead to 2-0. The momentum wouldn’t stop, as game three opened with a clean five frames including four strikes. The rest of the game wasn’t as strong as the previous two, allowing Sacred Heart to take their first game of the match in a clean 213-199 performance, cutting the Husker lead to 2-1. Nebraska initially got back on track in game four, notching a four-bagger to start the game. But back-to-back open frames killed their momentum, allowing the Pioneers to capitalize and even the series to two games apiece with 237-187 win. The Huskers answered back with a clean game of 259 that featured a five-bagger that helped them surpass Sacred Heart’s 224, taking the series lead back at 3-2. One game away from securing a match victory, the Huskers and Pioneers battled to keep it close, but a clutch spare from Capron and triple from Martin helped the Big Red secure the win 203-191 and the series 4-2. 

With their tournament record now sitting at 7-4, the Huskers continued their campaign for seventh place against the 14th-ranked Sam Houston Bearkats. Game one was a grind for both teams, but it was the Bearkats who would strike first, winning 184-177. Abby Starkey made an appearance, picking up a spare for Martin. The Huskers’ clean game two would propel them ahead of Sam Houston, striking six to end a 249-180 rout that tied the series at 1-1. Starkey would bowl first in game three, striking and setting up NU for a good showing, but multiple open frames stopped the Huskers’ momentum in its tracks. Martin made a valiant effort with three strikes in the 10th, but the Bearkats would claim victory 179-160, taking a 2-1 series lead. Game four was hotly contested the entire way, but eventually Sam Houston would slip past the Husker’s for a one-pin 204-203 win to put them up 3-1. In game five, Nebraska put up a valiant effort but ultimately fell short; Sam Houston would claim the match 4-1 with a 223-203 victory, knocking the Big Red to 7-5 and forcing them to play their last match to keep their initial spot in ninth. 

The final match of the day was against the 13th-ranked North Carolina A&T Aggies. The Huskers jumped out to a hot start, striking seven-straight in game one for a 247-194 win. The Aggies would answer back with a strong game of their own that NU couldn’t keep up with due to repeated open frames off splits. NCAT evened the match 1-1 with the 225-138 thrashing. Game three came down to the wire, with both teams stringing together multiple strikes, but it was the Huskers who would come out on top with a nailbiting 236-233 win to take a 2-1 series lead. NCAT would answer right back, bowling a stellar 258-207 to even the series at 2-2. The Big Red responded in tunr, shooting one of their best games of the weekend and taking the lead back with a 279-215 win. Needing one more game to end the tournament on a high note, the Huskers did just that, notching 220 pins to the Aggies 159, handily securing a 4-2 match victory and going home winners of their last game.

NU will return home briefly before getting back on the road for the Prairie View Invitational hosted by Prairie View A&M at the ITRC in Arlington, Texas, from Jan. 23-25.

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