GREENSBORO, N.C. – After a challenging first couple of days at the inaugural Vernell Stallings Women's Bowling Invitational held inside the AMF All Star Lanes in Greensboro, North Carolina, the Lincoln Memorial University women's bowling team put together a strong effort Sunday to close out the weekend. The Lady Railsplitters (19-20) finished off the three-day tournament hosted by North Carolina A&T with two Baker match wins in bracket play, sweeping the likes of Texas Southern, 4-0, and claiming a 4-2 victory over Howard.
 
"This weekend was very important for our team," Director of Bowling and Women's Bowling Head Coach Joseph Slowinski said. "It revealed some critical pieces for us to be aware of to become our best. Lapses in concentration led to underperforming too frequently in certain matches. As we adjust to a new roster and tournament line-ups, we need more people to assume the role and responsibilities of anchor."
 
Entering the day in eighth place among a 12-team tournament field, which featured a total of seven of the nation's top 21 programs, LMU took on 19th-ranked UAB first thing Sunday morning in the sixth and final traditional team match. Coming a mere three pins shy of the Blazers (914-911), the Lady Railsplitters missed securing the No. 8 seed for bracket play by only 20 pins following the qualifying Baker matches Friday and the six traditional team matches. Instead of competing for a fifth-place finish, LMU had to settle for a ninth-place showing after earning the pair of bracket play Baker match victories.
 
"Freshman Jada Bassette and Junior Chelsea Nakaoka we're both impressive today," commented coach Slowinski. "This really gave the team a huge boost of energy and enthusiasm."
 
Paced by junior Tyra Sanchez' game of 196 against No. 19 UAB, the Lady Railsplitters got a 195 from reigning East Coast Conference Bowler of the Week Marisol Dodson, who was a perfect 100 percent (11-of-11) on filled frames. Junior Justine Brookover entered the match in the fifth frame as a substitute and recorded five strikes in seven frames (71.4%), while senior Mary-Kate Kersting posted six strikes in 12 frames and held a Baker double-strike percentage of 60.
 
"We started slow but composed ourselves to force the match to the final shot of the anchor bowler," stated Slowinski. "Close matches like these build character and prepare us to perform. I was incredibly proud of our team today."
 
LMU had a breakout match in the first round of bracket play against Texas Southern, scoring over 200 twice in the 4-0 sweep with a 229 opening game and an impressive 257 game two (229-178, 257-186, 194-190, 193-190). Serving as the Lady Railsplitters' anchor bowler, Kersting was 8-of-12 (67%) on strikes, 6-of-12 (50%) on Baker double strikes and had a 100 filled frame percentage. Bassette, Nakaoka and Brookover each notched five strikes in eight frames (62.5%) as Brookover was 50 percent on Baker double strikes. 
 
"The team stepped up with commitment to perform at a high level," Slowinski added. "Mary-Kate converted the 10 pins in the 10th frame in games three and four to seal wins in each."
 
Fighting its way back from a 2-0 deficit after Howard earned 182-167 and 227-158 game wins, LMU took game three by a 196-147 count and evened up the match at 2-2 with a 202-155 game four triumph. The Lady Railsplitters then secured their second match win of the day with 179-153 and 183-178 game five and game six victories. Bassette led the way with six strikes in 12 frames as she filled 11-of-12 frames (91.67%).
 
"Jada is emerging quickly as a critical contributor," spoke Slowinski. "With each tournament day she is becoming a better team player and confident collegiate bowler."
 
Among 74 total bowlers, Kersting finished 21st in the individual standings with an average score of 195.33 in the six traditional team games and a pinfall total of 1,172. Dodson was LMU's second-highest individual finisher as she placed 31st with a 184.0 game average and 1,104 total pins. Sanchez (186.4) and freshman Sofia Colon (182.0) finished 43rd and 45th, respectively, with pinfall totals of 932 and 910.
 
Mount St. Mary's Rebecca Dodson took home the individual title after averaging an outstanding 225.0 in the traditional team matches and knocking down 1,350 total pins. Her teammate, Tamera Stanton, was just three pins off of Dodson's pace with a 1,347 pinfall total and 224.5 game average. Louisiana Tech's Allie Leiendecker claimed third place with a 219.33 game average and 1,316 pinfall total.
 
Tournament host and eighth-ranked North Carolina A&T won its inaugural Vernell Stallings Women's Bowling Invitational by defeating seventh-ranked and third-seeded Maryland-Eastern shore 4-3 in the championship match. Twenty-first ranked and second-seeded Mount St. Mary's earned third place with a 4-3 win over 19th-ranked and fourth-seeded UAB.
 
Up Next…
The Lady Railsplitters wrap up their three-tournament November with their third-straight weekend of play next Friday-Sunday, Nov. 22-24 at Maryland-Eastern Shore's Hawk Classic Invitational. The three-day tournament held at Millsboro Lanes in Millsboro, Delaware, will feature an 18-team field comprised of 15 top-25 teams and six of the nation's top 10 programs.
 
How to Follow
Stay tuned to LMURailsplitters.com, as well as LMU's social media platforms - @LMURailsplitter on Twitter, @LMURailsplitters on Facebook and @lmurailsplitters on Instagram, for complete coverage of Lady Railsplitter bowling throughout the 2019-20 season.