RICHTON PARK, Ill. – Lincoln Memorial University women's bowling team returns to the lanes for the first time since notching its first tournament win in program history this weekend at the Crusader Classic held at Lakewood Bowl in Richton Park, Ill. Hosted by Valparaiso, the three-day event follows standard tournament format beginning Friday with five sets of five-game Baker matches and continues Saturday with five traditional team games. The tournament concludes Sunday with three best-of-seven Baker bracket matches.
 
Despite winning the Red Flash Invitational two weeks ago with a 10-2 performance and going 18-7 since the calendar turned to 2018, the Lady Railsplitters fell one spot to No. 24 in the February NTCA poll released Wednesday. LMU is 41-34 overall and has already matched the program's win total from its entire inaugural 2016-17 campaign.
 
The team is also 26-11 over its past three tournaments and 27-9 against unranked opponents.
 
"We're starting to reach some critical mass in regard to performance," LMU Director of Bowling and Women's Head Coach Joseph Slowinski said.
 
Lincoln Memorial will be one of six nationally-ranked programs competing this weekend at the Crusader Classic. The 15-team field is headlined by No. 1 Nebraska and also contains No. 15 Central Missouri, No. 20 UW-Whitewater, No. 22 Maryville and No. 25 Valparaiso. Monmouth and Youngstown State also received votes.
 
The Lady Railsplitters have faced the Cornhuskers twice this season and nearly took them down in a 1057-1016 loss in the Warhawk Classic back in November. LMU has also defeated the host team in each of its last three tournaments.
 
"Nebraska is really the only big name there," Slowinski said. "There's not a super strong field otherwise."
 
The Lady Railsplitters will be short-handed this week with both Christine Hansen and Justine Brookover out with various ailments. Hansen also missed the Red Flash Invitational.
 
"We really focus on making the uncomfortable comfortable," Slowinski said. "This is about as uncomfortable as it gets. Our top two statistical leaders are not going on the trip. That means other people have to perform."
 
Chelsea Nakaoka will be asked to step up and travel with the team to make her LMU debut.
 
"If we can have a match against Nebraska and be competitive, especially with two players out, that will send a message to not only us but to everybody else that the depth of our team is dangerous," Slowinski said. "I want to go to this tournament and have a strong performance knowing that if we do that, we're going to be perceived as very competitive against anybody at any time."