MILLSBORO, Del. – The ninth-ranked Fairleigh Dickinson women's bowling team won three of five traditional team matches to remain in third place after two days at the UMES Hawks Classic.
The Knights (35-14) defeated two more ranked opponents in Monmouth and North Carolina A&T and suffered their two losses on the day to the host team, seventh-ranked Maryland-Eastern Shore, as well as top-ranked Vanderbilt.
FDU remains in third place in the tournament standings, trailing only Vanderbilt and Sacred Heart. Consequently, the Knights have a chance to capture the tournament championship if they go 3-0 in their Baker best four-of-seven playoff matches on Sunday.
Senior
Amy Caruso competed in all five matches and rolled over 200 in each of her five games, averaging 220.4, the third-best average of any competitor in the tournament for the day. She was also the only pinsetter to score over 200 in all five games.
"Overall, another positive day where our growth continued," said head coach
Mike LoPresti. "We certainly needed to open and close out the day better, but we still have to put ourselves in a position where we can win the tournament and that's all you can ask for out of this developing squad. Amy had another tremendous day, averaging 220 per game and among the tournament leaders."
Sophomore
Aimee Sherman and junior
Brianna MacLeod also competed in all five matches, with Sherman averaging 197.2 pins per game and MacLeod finishing with a 191.8 pins per game average. Freshman
Lanasia Neal saw her first action of the tournament, averaging 190.75 pins per game across four matches, and sophomore
Deborah Epps averaged 192.67 pins per game over three matches.
The Knights started the day against host UMES, falling in that match by a score of 1,067-920. Caruso scored a high of 212 for the Knights and Sherman contributed a 189. Sophomore
Jenna Henderson subbed into the lineup for Neal in the eighth frame to try to spark a rally, ending the frame by totaling a 181.
Four different Knights scored over 200 in helping the Burgundy and Blue defeat no. 23 Monmouth, 1009-942, led by Sherman's 241. Caruso (206) and MacLeod (204) also provided key scores for the Knights, and Epps along with junior
Samantha Hart combined to roll a 202, with Hart subbing in after the fifth frame.
MacLeod and Caruso led the charge in the third match of the day, a 1052-826 victory over Coppin State. MacLeod finished with a team-best 243 during the match, while Caruso contributed a 222. Neal (205) and Sherman (204) also provided quality scores in helping earn the victory.
Caruso played her best frame of the day against 11th-ranked NC A&T, scoring a 252 (the best of any Knight for the day), and FDU handily defeated NC A&T, 1065-898. Neal also rolled her best frame of the day with a 221, while Epps and Sherman each added scores of 207 to the Knights' total.
Top-ranked Vanderbilt proved a tough challenge for the Knights, who consequently were defeated, 983-871, to end the day. Henderson and Hart both subbed into the lineup with hopes of sparking a comeback, but the Commodores were able to hold off the Knights. Caruso ended her day with a 210 to lead FDU in the match.
The Knights averaged 196.68 per game on Saturday and carry a 198.5 average per game over the course of the tournament. Their 7-3 record in individual matches for the tournament is second only to Vanderbilt's 8-1 mark.
FDU will again face tournament host UMES in its first Baker playoff match on Sunday. A win will pit them against the loser of the Vanderbilt-Sacred Heart matchup and keep the championship hopes alive. A loss will eliminate the Knights from championship contention but will advance them to play the winner of the Tulane-Lincoln Memorial match.
Check back here at fduknights.com at the end of play Sunday for the final results and recap.
