SMYRNA, Tenn. – The No. 23 Lincoln Memorial University women's bowling team concluded its regular season at the Music City Classic with a fifth-place finish out of 32 teams. The Lady Railsplitters entered Sunday in third but lost two of three best-of-seven Baker matches to finish the tournament 9-4 with a pair of wins over teams ranked in the top six.
 
The Lady Railsplitters lost to No. 5 Sam Houston State in five games (168-221, 215-202, 170-214, 194-226, 184-203) to open the day. LMU then rallied back from being down 3.5 games to 1.5 only to fall in a heartbreaker to No. 16 St. Francis (Pa.) in a five-frame roll-off (173-157, 180-180, 157-211, 180-189, 163-201, 210-193, 191-182, 86-106). The team concluded Sunday with a thrilling seven-game win over No. 4 and host Vanderbilt that came down to the final frame (149-205, 226-154, 154-210, 216-189, 150-166, 223-156, 182-178).
 
"We had to make many good shots to win individual games which is consistent with our never-give-up attitude," LMU Director of Bowling and Women's Head Coach Joseph Slowinski said. "The women had to play demanding lines and executed well."
 
The Music City Classic featured a very strong field including 20 of the top 25 teams. No. 2 McKendree topped Sam Houston State in the championship to claim the title. No. 3 Arkansas State and St. Francis were the only other teams to finish ahead of LMU.
 
"To go 9-4, finish in the top five and beat two top-six teams is very gratifying," Slowinski said. "We strive to be at our best in March and April. This weekend's performance proved we are peaking when it matters most."
 
LMU will start postseason play next Friday through Sunday at the East Coast Conference Championship in Long Island, New York. The Lady Railsplitters concluded their regular season with a 62-49 record, which is a 25-game improvement from their inaugural campaign.