GLEN ALLEN, Va. – The ninth-ranked Fairleigh Dickinson women's bowling team continued its tremendous play at the Virginia Union Invitational with four traditional match victories in the second day of competition.
The Knights (18-4), who are now on a 12-match win streak dating back to last weekend, defeated two MEAC schools and two Division II opponents in earning the four victories. FDU is one of two teams that is 9-0 through two days at the event, but sit in second place in the standings behind NEC rival Saint Francis U. The Knights are 37 total pins (9,239-9,202) behind the Red Flash and have averaged 184.0 pins per game in the tournament.
"It's been a grind for two days, and I'm really proud of how we handled it," head coach
Mike LoPresti said after the day. "We certainly need to be more consistent throughout, but still, we are able to keep the ball in play, fill our frames and finish every match strong."
FDU started its second day with a close win over Fayetteville State, garning an 869-850 victory. Sophomore
Amanda Chrzanowski rolled a team-best score of 195 in the match, and the trio of junior
Brianna MacLeod, sophomore
Jenna Henderson and freshman
Lanasia Neal each compiled at least 170 in their respective games.
Chrzanowski again was the high-scorer for the Knights in a 851-762 win over Coppin State in the second match of the day. The sophomore rolled a 188 to lead the Knights, and Henderson scored an identical score of 176 from her first game of the day as well. Junior
Samantha Hart subbed in for senior
Amy Caruso in the sixth frame of her game and filled all her frames for the remainder of the game to help stabilize in the back half of the match.
No Knight rolled below a 174 in the third match of the day, leading to the team's biggest margin of victory in a 938-818 win over Norfolk State. MacLeod led the team with a 201, and Hart rolled a 190 in her first full game of the day. Sophomore
Aimee Sherman subbed in for Neal in the seventh frame of her game, immediately doubling before finishing out with a spare and a strike and spare in the final frame, leading to a 193.
The Knights were scheduled to initially face Chowan in their fourth match of the day, but Chowan withdrew from the tournament last minute, giving the Knights a free game to increase their pin total. MacLeod rolled a 203, her best of the day, and Sherman contributed a 181.
Hart and Caruso compiled the two highest totals of the day for the Knights in their final match, a 970-879 win over Bowie State. Hart rolled a 222, while Caruso totaled a 220. Sherman added a score of 190, and MacLeod finished her day with a 186. Sophomore
Deborah Epps contributed a total of 152 in her only game of the day.
The format for Sunday shifts to a three-round, best-of-seven playoff bracket. Teams were seeded based on overall pin total, meaning the Knights will draw top-seed SFU in their first match of the day. The winner will receive a bye into the tournament championship match, while the loser will play the winner of the Sacred Heart-Mount St. Mary's first-round matchup.
"Tomorrow we'll only be playing the top seeds in this event and we'll need to do more of the same and most likely need to turn it up a notch or two to come out on top," LoPresti said.
Check back here at fduknights.com for further updates after the end of competition Sunday.
