Taylor, MI - Fairleigh Dickinson went 2-1 in best-of-seven baker play to advance to the final day of competition at the NCAA Bowling Championship at Skore Lanes in Taylor, MI. The Knights earned their 111th win of the season during competition on Friday, April 15, defeating NEC rival Kutztown and Vanderbilt. Kutztown, which was contesting the tournament for the first time, bounced back from its loss to FDU by defeating Central Missouri in an elimination match, but the Golden Bears eventually fell to Maryland-Eastern Shore later in the day.
It was an all-NEC bout in the opening round between top-seeded, and defending champion, FDU and No. 8 Kutztown.
The Knights took game one by a score of 212-179 but were met with retaliation in game two. The Golden Bears evened the series with a score of 234 after stringing together six strikes mid-game. The Knights were unable to match the high-score, producing a tally of 211 in game two.
In game three the Knights knocked down 189 pins but could not pick up a second win. The Golden Bears took game three with four strikes to end the game, giving them a total score of 245 and a two game to one advantage.
In game four the Knights took an initial lead on consecutive strikes from senior Sara Litteral, junior Joely Carrillo, sophomore Danielle McEwan and senior leadoff bowler, Tracy Ganjoin. Second strikes from Litteral and Carrillo and a double from McEwan in the tenth frame enabled the Knights to even the series at two with a 257-175 win.
The Knights took the series lead, 3-2, in the fifth game with strong performances from all bowlers. Carrillo, Ganjoin and Meghan Kelly threw strikes to lead the Knights to a 181-157 win.
Strikes in frames one and two gave the Golden Bears an early lead in game six. The Knights responded and took control mid-way through the game but were unable to match Kutztown’s three tenth-frame strikes. KU took game six to even the series at three games, 197-193.
By game seven all other matches were completed and the attention of Skore Lanes was turned to the NEC match-up on lanes seven and eight. Ganjoin started the game with a strike for the Knights, giving them an early lead and igniting the crowd.
The Golden Bears matched strikes from Ganjoin and Carrillo with two strikes in the first four frames. KU converted five spares between frames five and ten, while recording only one strike to finish with a score of 192. The Knights tallied a score of 211 with strikes from Ganjoin, Carrillo and McEwan in the final five frames. With the win the Knights took the series and earned a chance to face Vanderbilt University in the second round.
The Knights faced Vanderbilt in a thrilling round two match. In game one the Knights held a lead throughout the game and finished with a score of 192. The Commodores struck three times in the tenth frame to catch the Knights and also finished with a 192. The teams split the game, each holding half a win in the series.
Game two showed the importance of consecutive strikes. Although the Knights recorded seven strikes on 12 attempts including the tenth frame, they strung no more than two together on each occasion. The Commodores had a double early on and strung three together later in the game, leading them to a 203-186 win. VU took the series lead, 1.5-0.5.
Knights saw just two strikes before the tenth frame of game three, while the Commodores recorded five ’X’s. Although McEwan threw three strikes in the tenth, VU held onto the lead to take the victory, 236-205. With the win Vanderbilt improved to 2.5-0.5 in the series.
The Knights rallied in game four, taking a 114-106 lead in the sixth frame. Kelly, Litteral and Carrillo each threw strikes to secure the Knights’ lead. The 223-194 victory gave the Knights the spark they needed to rebound from the two-game deficit.
The intensity in the match grew with each throw as the crowd watched FDU and VU trade strikes through the first four frames of game five. McEwan edged VU by adding a fifth strike to the Knights’ scorecard. The Knights struck four times in the second half of the game to take the win, 245-213, and even the score at 2.5 games apiece.
The Commodores left two pins standing to begin game six, leaving the control in the hands of the Knights. An open frame in the second was all FDU would allow, as they filled each remaining frame including six strikes. The Knights took their first lead of the series with a 212-168 win.
Vanderbilt never let up, fighting harder than ever in the seventh game of the series. Through ten frames they left no more than one pin standing on each first attempt. They filled all frames with five strikes and six spares to record a score of 199. The Knights left no pins standing but only recorded two strikes, giving them a score of 184. With the VU win the match was forced to a tiebreaker.
The modified Baker game is used as a tiebreaker in the NCAA National Championship. Each team bowls the second half of a Baker game to determine the winner.
Once again, the eyes of all spectators and bowlers at Skore Lanes as well as those watching on NCAA.com were on the Knights. Ganjoin led off for the Knights with a strike, causing the crowd of FDU fans to erupt with excitment. Vanderbilt knocked down just seven pins to begin but recovered with a spare.
In frame two the Knights struggled with an open frame after leaving one pin standing. The Commodores spared again in frame two to take the lead. Litteral fired back with a strike to rebuild the momentum for FDU. Vanderbilt recorded their third consecutive spare of the tiebreaker, making up for the Knights’ open frame. With two bowlers left the game was tied again.
Carrillo knocked down all ten pins for the Knights in the ninth frame but VU responded with an instant strike. After seven full games and four frames of tiebreaker play, the match was determined by the tenth frame.
McEwan, the 2010 NCAA National Championship Most Outstanding Bowler and the 2011 NEC Bowler of the Year got the job done for the Knights with a strike in her first throw. After Vanderbilt threw their second strike of the tiebreaker, McEwan knocked down nine pins on her second throw. With the pressure of the tournament riding on their shoulders, the Commodores knocked down just seven pins in the second throw. With the two pin advantage, the Knights took the tiebreaker, 107-105 and the match.
After a lunch break and a third round bye, the Knights faced the winner of a matchup between Kutztown and The University of Maryland Eastern Shore. The Hawks of UMES defeated Kutztown, 4-2. The low game of the six-game series between the Hawks and Golden Bears was 197, the teams averaged over 220 through the match.
The Hawks began game one with four-consecutive strikes, taking the lead from the start. The Knights left two frames open but could not amass a score to keep up with the Hawks’ high-score. FDU fell, 244-182.
The Knights took advantage of an open frame from the Hawks to begin game two. UMES responded with strikes in the second and third frames and added four more through the tenth frame. Without a strike on the first attempt of the tenth frame, the Knights could not cut the deficit. UMES picked up their second win, 194-184.
UMES exploded with momentum in the third game stringing together nine strikes after two nine-pin spares for a combined total of 278 pins. The Knights left three open frames and tallied just 163. After three games the Knights trailed 3-0 and had one last chance to rally.
Ganjoin took control for the Knights in game five with a strike in the first frame. Senior Kristen Graham spared to help FDU’s attempt at a rally. After 7-10 splits in both the third and fourth frame, the Knights responded with two strong spares but did not record another strike until the eighth frame.
The Hawks threw three strikes in the tenth frame to take the win, 196-189. The fourth win for UMES brought the series to 4-1, giving the Hawks the match victory.
The Knights will face the Hawks again on Saturday, April 16 at 10:40 am. The winner of the round five match will advance to the NCAA National Championship Final which will be televised on ESPN.