WICKLIFFE, Ohio. (4/12/12) – The Arkansas state
bowling team earned the No. 6 seed after the first day of competition at the
NCAA Bowling Tournament at the Freeway Lanes of Wickliffe in Wickliffe, Ohio.
The Red Wolves finished the qualifying round 3-4
and will play No. 3 Fairleigh Dickinson in the first round of baker play at
9:50 a.m. Friday morning.
Arkansas State rebounded in the night session
after a rough start in the morning session. The Red Wolves went 3-0 in the
afternoon session defeating Sacred Heart, Central Missouri and Nebraska after
starting the day 0-4.
“We just came out a little tight and it took a
little while to get the lineup right,” ASU coach Justin Kostick said. “My team
is pretty dynamic and we've got three left handed players so we can kind of
change things around a lot and we finally got the lineup right. I played all
three lefties in this night block and got almost a 100-over, which in bowling
terms we are plus-100.”
In the last match of the night ASU defeated
Nebraska 1008-902 behind a strong game from Ashley Rucker. The sophomore left-hander
shot a team-high 257 in the match, including five strikes in the first five
frames. She also added three strikes in the tenth frame, and struck out in the
tenth frame in the three out of the four matches she played in.
ASU picked up its first victory with a 1043-970
win over Sacred Heart in the first match of the afternoon session. Senior left-hander
Emily Troutman shot a 244 in the match and hit six strikes in a row, including
three in the tenth frame. Ashley Rucker shot a 201 and also struck out in the
tenth frame, while Rachael Gittings added a 225.
“It looks like my left-handed players have a
really good look,” Kostick said. “We might make some changes in the lineup
there. We might move the lefties down to the bottom and we one left-hander who
has anchored before so that is a possibility.”
In the afternoon session's second match, A-State
defeated Central Missouri 1039-927. The Red Wolves led throughout much of the
match and put the match away with an impressive eighth frame that included a
spare and four strikes. Amanda Labossiere bowled a 255 and hit six strikes in a
row and just missed her seventh in a row in her last shot in the tenth frame.
A-State started the day with a 1061-1015 loss to
Fairleigh Dickinson. The Red Wolves struggled in the early part of the match,
but found a groove in the final frames. Sarah Lokker led the team with a 232
game, including two strikes in the tenth frame, while Labossiere finished with
a 218 and Troutman bowled a 205.
Against Vanderbilt, the Red Wolves bowled five
strikes in the ninth frame and trailed by just seven pins at the start of the tenth
frame. Vanderbilt surged, however, while the Red Wolves struggled on the left
lane and lost 959-926. Senior Lela Dudley led the Red Wolves with a high-game
of 214. Labossiere finished with four straight strikes, including three in the tenth
frame to finish with a game of 198.
In the third match against Maryland Eastern
Shore, the Red Wolves trailed by just one pin after the seventh frame, but
struggled over the final three frames and fell 1003-962. Melissa Lachanski and
Kalynn Carl were inserted into the lineup and both gave ASU a boost. Lachanski
finished with a 163, while Carl had a 199 including three strikes in the tenth
frame. Gittings led the team with a 211 and Labossiere finished with a 205.
In the morning's final match against Valparaiso
the Red Wolves led in the middle part of the match, but struggled down the
stretch and lost 897-880. A-State held a 17 pin lead after the eighth frame,
but Valparaiso battled back in the ninth frame and took a 15 pin lead.
Labossiere led the team with a 206.1 average,
which was sixth overall on the day. Gittings finished second on the team with a
188.1 average, followed by Troutman (198.4) and Lokker (191.6).
