The Fairleigh Dickinson University women's bowling team opened competition at the 2010 NCAA Women's Bowling Tournament on Thursday at Carolier Brunswick Zone in New Brunswick, NJ. The Knights played seven matches on the first day for qualifying rounds, which determines seeding for the double-elimination bracket on Friday and Saturday; Fairleigh Dickinson went 3-4 to take the fifth seed, moving to 83-38 on the season. The Knights broke 1,000 in four of the seven games.
Nebraska captured the first seed (7-0), Arkansas State went 5-2 to take the second seed and Vanderbilt and NJCU each went 4-3, but Vanderbilt won the head-to-head to take third and make the Gothic Knights fourth. Maryland- Eastern Shore is seeded sixth (2-5), Delaware State is seventh (2-5) and Central Missouri is eighth (1-6).
The Knights won their first match, 1047-958, against Vanderbilt, led by sophomore Joely Carillo, who recorded strikes in the front eight, finishing with a 252. Junior Tracy Ganjoin (Brick, NJ/Brick) shot a 214 and freshman Danielle McEwan (Stony Point, NY/Stony Point) posted a 213.
In the second qualifying round, Fairleigh Dickinson defeated University of Maryland- Eastern Shore, 1085-1066, in a high-scoring match that came down to the last frame. Senior Nichole Toto (Piscataway, New Jersey/Bishop George Ahr)'s hot shooting led the Knights in the second game with a 257; she led a balanced attack as McEwan shot 223 and Erica Perez (Carteret, New Jersey/Carteret) bowled a 213. Ganjoin and Carillo each shot 196. After starting off 2-0, the Knights moved into first place overall due to a total pin fall tiebreaker.
The Knights faced off against host New Jersey City University in the third qualifying round, falling in a close match, 954-926 despite a 203 from Toto. With the loss, the Knights dropped to second behind Nebraska in the standings.
Against Arkansas State in the fourth qualifying match, Fairleigh Dickinson fell, 1091-954, to finish the morning session 2-2. Perez led the Knights with a 221 game and McEwan added a 193. The Knights dropped to fourth in the eight-team field.
The Knights opened the second session of the qualifying rounds on Thursday afternoon, dropping the fifth match to Nebraska, 1071-1006, despite strong games from the seniors as Toto led the team with a 246 and Perez bowled a 231. As the standings are based on win-loss records, FDU fell to fifth.
Fairleigh Dickinson was defeated by Delaware State, 981-921 in the sixth round. McEwan rolled a 226, Ganjoin added a 196 and Perez bowled a 192.
The Knights wrapped up Thursday's competition on a high note, defeating Central Missouri, 1013-923, in the seventh and final qualifying match. McEwan finished up the day with a team-high 231, while Toto broke 200 for the fourth time in six games with a 209, and sophomore Meghan Kelly (Howell, NJ/Howell) added a 207.
The 2010 Tournament changed formats, with seeding depending on win-loss record instead of total pin fall as in previous years. While seeded fifth based on records, the Knights are third in total pin fall.
Competition continues on Friday with a double-elimination bracket, with matches 1-4 starting at 9:30 a.m. The Knights will take on the No. 4 Gothic Knights in the first round. The winner advances to the play the winner of No. 1 Nebraska/No. 8 Central Missouri, while the other team will play the loser of that match.
For all articles, standings and tournament statistics, visit the NCAA Tournament Page.
