NORTH KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The fifth-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson women's bowling team (36-4, 19-2 NEC) opened the 2021 NCAA National Collegiate Women's Bowling Championship with a 2-0 shutout victory over twelfth-seeded Sam Houston State on Wednesday at AMF Pro Bowl Lanes in North Kansas City, Mo.

FDU sophomore Cameron Spring led off in the traditional match to begin the battle against the Bearkats, scoring a team-high 236 en route to the Knights' 1,006-971 victory over Sam Houston State. Senior Jenna Henderson, the Northeast Conference Bowler of the Year, bowled 216 in the opener, followed by fellow senior Amanda Chrzanowski who rolled a 212 in the first format.

In the second match against the Bearkats (Baker total pinfall), the Knights stuck to their five-person lineup which combined to bowl at least 205 in four of the five games played. The Burgundy and Blue got off to a tight start, edging Sam Houston State by just 14 pins in the opening game. FDU would drop the second, 215-205, and the third, 180-177, before picking up steam in the fourth with a team day-high 255 game, moving past Sam Houston's 222. The Knights would fall 223-215 in the fifth and final game. FDU would take the Baker total pinfall battle 1,069-1,043, clinching the team's first NCAA tournament victory in this year's competition, 2-0.

Moving to the team's next opponent in the second round of the regional tournament, thirteen-seeded Youngstown State, the Burgundy and Blue fell to the Penguins in the first bout (traditional scoring) by a 1,146-1,080 mark. Spring again had the high game for the Knights, this time a 248. Senior Aimee Sherman, the most valuable player of this year's NEC Tournament, raised her scoring from the Sam Houston match from 175 to a 226 in the battle against Youngstown State. Two other FDU bowlers scored above 200 in the loss with Chrzanowski and Henderson bowling 211 and 202, respectively. Junior Lanasia Neal also saw action in the contest.

With the Knights down 1-0, the match moved to the Baker total pinfall portion. Youngstown State got started by edging out a 199-195 victory in the first game to set the pace in the second contest of the best-of-three matchup. FDU would fall behind in the first four games before taking a 204-184 fifth game which wasn't enough to hold off YSU who took the second format 1,050-955 and with that, a 2-0 win over the Burgundy and Blue.

To listen to head coach Mike LoPresti's post-match press conference following the win over Sam Houston State, please click the play symbol on the image above.

FDU will return to action on Thursday, April 8, at 10 AM EDT/ 9 AM CT in round three of the regionals live on NCAA.com. Fans can also follow along on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. To access the most up-to-date results, view the tournament program and see the latest bracket, please click the "NCAA Bowling HQ" link above or click here.