The Fairleigh Dickinson University women's bowling team began Northeast Conference competition with a 3-2 record on day one of NEC Meet #1. The team played five traditional games at Brunswick Colony Lanes in Wallingford, CT. The Knights are now 25-7 on the season.
In match one the Knights took on preseason favorite, Kutztown, in a traditional team game. The match went into the tenth frame before a power outage at the bowling center delayed play for over two hours.
Once power was restored the Knights sealed a win with a strike from junior Danielle McEwan (Stony Point, NY/Stony Point) in the tenth frame. With high scores of 243 from senior Joely Carrillo (Clifton, NJ/Paramus Catholic) and a 215 from McEwan, the Knights took a win, 947-920.
In games two and three the Knights were unable to produce high scores. “We were totally baffled by the lane conditions,” said Head Coach Mike LoPresti. “Our systems did not work, our players were not performing consistently and our ball reactions were difficult to read.”
The Knights fell to Monmouth in game two, 959-904 and to Saint Francis PA in game three, 978-814.
In match four the Knights faced Sacred Heart who was undefeated on the day. LoPresti made adjustments in the lineup and helped the team relax. With junior Brianna Carlo (Dumont, NJ/Dumont) off the bench, the Knights compiled a team score of 1,167 to defeat the Pioneers who scored 1,040.
McEwan led the Knights against SHU with a 246, while sophomore Michelle Hunzaker (Cary, NC/Green Hope High School) added 244. Senior Meghan Kelly (Howell, NJ/Howell) scored 233, Carlo added 225 and Carrillo rounded out the team with a 219.
The win boosted the confidence of the Knights and gave them an insight into how to succeed through their final match of the day.
In the last match of the day, FDU faced Adelphi. Carlo was pivotal for the Knights again and recorded strikes from the seventh frame on for a final score of 222. The Knights took the win, 929-805.
FDU is scheduled to take on New Jersey City University first thing on Sunday. NJCU went 4-1 in Saturday's competition.
