MT. JOY, Pa. - Hitting the lanes for the second round of the Northeast Conference regular season schedule, the No. 15 Fairleigh Dickinson women's bowling team (43-31, 6-8 NEC) logged three wins in seven traditional scoring matches played against league foes on February 5 and 6 at Clearview Lanes.

Riding a successful weekend at the Prairie View A&M Invitational in Arlington, Texas into the league meet, the Knights picked up where they left off, recording their second-consecutive victory, as the team scored 1,082 pins over Saint Francis U (Pa.)'s 1,006. Against the Red Flash, Mike LoPresti's side was boasted by redshirt sophomore Julianna Spina's team-leading 257. She was followed by junior Cameron Spring's 232 while the reigning NEC tournament Most Valuable Player, graduate student Aimee Sherman, added a 216. Also seeing action in the opening match were graduate students NEC Bowler of the Week Amanda Chrzanowski and reigning NEC Bowler of the Year Jenna Henderson to round-out the five-person lineup.

Moving to the second match of day one, the Burgundy and Blue fell to No. 19 LIU by 122 pins, 977-855, in the Keystone State. With no FDU bowlers touching 200 in the game, Henderson paced the team, rolling a 189. Freshman Allysha Howard came off the bench for LoPresti's squad. To close-out day one, the Knights fell again, this time to No. 12 Duquesne, 1,118-967. For the second match in a row, Henderson would have the high-game, bowling 213 in front of Chrzanowski's 212 and Sherman's 201. Three Knights sprung into action with senior Lanasia Neal, sophomore Jennifer Oxman and junior Ashley Sham entering the rotation. Howard earned the start and put up a 173 mark.

Getting Sunday started on the right foot, FDU threw a one-two punch, knocking down St. Francis Brooklyn and Wagner, 1,010-905 and 1,111-963, respectively. Against the Terriers Spina was the hero rolling 247 followed by Sherman's 214 and Chrzanowski's 207. Neal under the start and was relieved by Spring. Facing the Seahawks in the second of four games, FDU was led by Chrzanowski's 254, a mark the Schenectady, N.Y. native would surprise for a team day-high of 256 in the closing match against No. 19 Sacred Heart. All Knights saw action against the Staten Island-based institution.

In the final two contests of the meet, FDU fell back-to-back to No. 9 Mount St. Mary's and SHU, first 1,063-1,048 to the Mountaineers and later 1,069-958 to the Pioneers. Three of the five Knights in the lineup bowled over 200 with Sherman, hailing from Jackson, N.J., leading the pack with 247, followed by Chrzanowski's 209 and Henderson's 208. Fast-forward to the final match of the two-day event, the Knights stuck with the same lineup from the match against the Mount with two Knights, in addition to Chrzanowski's previously-mentioned 256, helping push the needle to close the gap on SHU in Henderson's 205 and Neal's 207.

Following the event, LoPresti remarked, "Since the beginning of the second half, you can summarize our season as two steps forward and one step back. This weekend was the most important of the spring semester so far. Unfortunately, we weren't able to defeat the teams we needed to beat. After making progress and building momentum from the past two tournaments, we failed to play consistently enough to beat the teams in the upper half of the league standings. We still have one more NEC meet to prove we belong in that group and qualify for the conference tournament. After a few days off, we'll get back to work making the necessary improvements. There's nothing better than NCAA postseason play; we work hard all-season to qualify, and you better believe that we want nothing more than being a part of it. "

LoPresti's team doesn't hit the lanes again in competition on February 25 and they'll do so in Greensboro, N.C. when the side takes part in the Stallings Invitational, hosted by North Carolina A&T. The three-day event will go until Sunday, February 27.

Fans can stay connected with FDU women's bowling on Twitter and Instagram, @FDUKnightsBOWL, and Facebook, @FDUKnightsWBOWL.