ORLANDO, F.L.- For the second-consecutive weekend, the FDU Knights came away from their competition with a winning record. This week at the Sunshine State Classic the Knights went 9-4 earning them a 7^th place finish in a field filled with a number of nationally ranked programs.

Day One: Baker Total Pinfall (2-3)

FDU kicked off their weekend on the right foot surging past UAB in the opening match. FDU eclipsed 200 pins in each of their first two games against the Blazers en route to a 956-794 victory.

Things continued to roll nicely for FDU in their second match of the day against Emmanuel. Despite falling behind by 11 pins after the first game, the Knights fought back winning the next four games by an average of 22.25 pins and were able to win the match 916-836. This victory was highlighted by the Knights knocking down 206 pins in game four.  

FDU's final three matches of the day all came against ranked opponents. FDU battled extremely hard against no. 2 Arkansas State, but ultimately fell 866-952. The Knights and no. 22 Tulane came together in the fourth match of the day for what was one of the more highly-contested games of the weekend. Tulane squeaked by the Knights 969-977. In the final match of day one, no. 5 Stephen F Austin defeated the Knights 793-1032.
 
Day Two: Traditional (5-0)

Saturday proved to be an extremely successful day for FDU, marked by two statement wins over ranked programs.

The Knights defeated Alabama A&M 1152-860 to start their day. Allysha Howard shined knocking down 267 pins. All five bowlers knocked down over 200 pins in this match.

The second match came against Daemen. This proved to be a much tougher test. However, FDU stuck to their strategy and took down the Wildcats 968-953. This time it was Julianna Spina leading the Knights with 224 pins.

In the third match, FDU again was able to knock down over 1000 pins. They took down Monmouth 1146-923. Emily Fogarty paced the Knights with 226 pins.

Next came no. 6 Youngstown State and the Knights proved to be up for the challenge. The Knights took down the Penguins 1118-984. Spina, Howard, and Fogarty all hit the 200-mark in this match. Howard knocked down 256 pins, while Fogarty totaled 246 herself. This was an especially impressive and important win, as Youngstown State went on to win the tournament.

Putting the finishing touches on an unbeaten day, the Knights dismantled no. 22 Delaware State by a score of 998-950. Howard again served as the "x-factor" knocking down 248 pins.

Howard totaled 1169 pins on day two for an average of 233.8 per match. This was the third-best average of all bowlers in the field and earned her a spot on the all-tournament team.
 
Day Three: Baker Match Play (2-1)

The Knights average of 195.6 earned them the 8^th seed heading into the final day.

This pitted them against NEC-rival Sacred Heart, who defeated FDU in last year's NEC Championship.

The Knights were able to get some revenge as they took down the Pioneers 4-2 (191-175, 189-190, 182-215, 203-138, 220-181, 225-209). In this match the Knights displayed incredible resilience, shaking off a 2-1 deficit and putting up some of their highest scores of the weekend in games 3-6.

The Knights then had a rematch with no. 2 Arkansas State. FDU was able to secure wins in games two and four but Arkansas state took the match 4-2 (235-203, 149-183, 214-193, 188-194, 225-202, 225-202)

This put FDU in another match against Sacred Heart for 7^th place. Despite coming off a loss, the Knights bounced back and found their rhythm immediately. Thanks to an average score of 239 in the first two games, FDU took a 2-0 lead. This helped them handle Sacred Heart 4-1 (221-213, 257-149, 199-193, 225-172, 219-212).

A winning record on day three put the Knights record for the week at 9-4.
 
Quotable:

"The team displayed its highest level of competitiveness yet. We had our ups and downs, however, we rallied and fought to the end. I am incredibly proud of this team and its commitment to excellence. More to come!"- Head coach Kerry Martinez.
 
What's Next

The Knights will compete in the first NEC event of the year from November 11^th-12^th. This will take place in North Brunswick, N.J.