The Fairleigh Dickinson University women's bowling team defeated defending champion Nebraska to take home the 2010 NCAA Championship on Saturday night at Carolier Brunswick Zone in North Brunswick, NJ.
After Nebraska took hold of a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven Baker Game Series, televised on ESPNU, the Knights fought back to push the match to a game seven and fired on all cylinders to take home the trophy for the second time in school history.
Tracy Ganjoin (Brick, NJ/Brick) and Sara Litteral (Chesterfield, MI/L'anse Creuse North) started the match off strong with back-to-back strikes in the first game and Litteral and Joely Carrillo (Clifton, NJ/Paramus Catholic) repeated the feat in the seventh and eighth frames to help the Knights take a 209-167 victory in the first game to jump out to a 1-0 lead.
Ganjoin and Litteral started the second-straight game with back-to-back strikes and Carrillo followed them with one of her own. Erica Perez (Carteret, New Jersey/Carteret) and Ganjoin then cleared the pins in the fifth and sixth frames, but it wasn't enough as Nebraska responded in the second game with a 222-202 victory to even the series.
In the third game, FDU was able to keep it clean for the whole game with six spares and Danielle McEwan (Stony Point, NY/Stony Point) striking out in both of her frames while Litteral and Perez each added another strike to their tallies. But the Huskers were able to go ahead 2-1 in the series after a closely-fought 213-203 win.
Fairleigh Dickinson wasn't going to go quietly, as they tied up the match with the next game, winning 229-192. Ganjoin kept her leadoff spark going with a strike and McEwan, Perez and Ganjoin strung together three-straight to push FDU ahead. Carrillo, McEwan and Perez again put three-consecutive "X"s in the box for the victory.
In game five, Nebraska pulled ahead with a 222-201 win, but FDU won the next two games to take the victory.
In game six, McEwan, Perez and Ganjoin teamed up to put together strikes before Carrillo, McEwan and Perez closed out the game with three-straight.
In the final game, the Knights defeated the Huskers, 208-174, to win the championship.
Perez earned a spot on the All-Tournament team, as did McEwan, who was named Most Outstanding Player to cap off her rookie campaign.
The championship match was broadcast on ESPNU at 8:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, April 10 and re-aired at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 11 on ESPN.
The Knights have made the NCAA tournament six of the seven years since it began in 2004. In each of the six years, Fairleigh Dickinson has reached the final four.
Danielle McEwan (Stony Point, NY/Stony Point) led the Knights in the traditional team games on Thursday with a 1,428 for seven games for a 204 average to place seventh overall. Erica Perez (Carteret, New Jersey/Carteret) tied for ninth with a 1,414 in seven games (202 average). Nichole Toto (Piscataway, New Jersey/Bishop George Ahr) averaged 207.2 for six games, with four of her six games over 200 (including high-games of 257 and 246).
For all articles, quotes and pictures, visit the NCAA Tournament Page.
Check back for pictures.
