NORTH KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The fifth-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson women's bowling team (36-5, 19-2 NEC) fell to Sam Houston State, the thirteen seed in this year's NCAA National Collegiate Women's Bowling Championship, 2-1 in Mega Match action on Thursday, eliminating the Knights from title contention.
FDU previously faced the Bearkats in the tournament's first round on Wednesday with the Knights sweeping the contest by a 2-0 score. On Thursday, the Burgundy and Blue started off hot taking the traditional battle from Sam Houston State 1,077-1,042 in a high-scoring affair to begin the day's events.
Moving to the second part of the best-of-three Mega Match, the two sides competed in a Baker total pinfall battle in which the Knights were bested by SHSU 1,132-1,064, evening the match at one win a piece forcing a Baker match play (best-of-seven) bout to decide the match and with that, advance one of the two sides further in the tournament.
In the first game, the Knights edged out a 222-191 win giving them a 1-0 advantage heading into the second needing to clinch just three more for the match victory. Sam Houston State commanded a 254-213 second game, evening the tally at one. In the following three games, FDU would fall to the Bearkats, giving them a 4-1 win in Baker match play and the right to advance further in the NCAA Championship.
Following the team's loss to Sam Houston, head coachÂ
Mike LoPresti said, "I'm extremely proud of this group. They are by far the most cohesive, mature and driven team we've had in some time."
"While we're obviously disappointed how things turned out, our biggest reward is the experience we've gained while here and getting here. Participating and competing in this event will enhance the tremendous growth for the players on the team. Next year is going to be special," he concluded.
Today's match was the 92
nd contest in the NCAA Championship for FDU. The team now boasts a record of 52-40 in NCAA tournament play.
Stay connected with the Knights all-year long on
Instagram,
Facebook and
Twitter.
Â
