Pluhowsky, Huskers Complete Fall Sweep

St. Louis, Mo. ? Behind another tournament title by Shannon Pluhowsky, the Nebraska bowling team closed the fall portion of its schedule by winning the National Collegiate Team Match Games in St. Louis over the weekend.

The Huskers won the overall title in the 36-team tournament field with a total pinfall of 11,880, easily topping runner-up Wichita State’s total of 11,754. Pikeville College (11,708), Morehead State (11,543) and Central Missouri State (11,343) rounded out the overall top five in a tournament that included both the top NCAA and club programs in the nation.

Nebraska is off to its best start in program history, winning its first four tournaments in a season for the first time. It is also the first time that the Huskers have won four consecutive tournaments at any point in the season since the 2001-02 campaign.

"I think our bowlers gained a lot of confidence during the fall," Head Coach Bill Straub said. "We have beaten all of the other contenders at the NCAA level and to win this tournament puts us in a great position to start the second half of the year. We still have a lot to work on heading into the homestretch and we may get beat down the line, but it would be because the team bowled better than us, not that we didn’t have the confidence to win every time we compete."

Pluhowsky won her third title in four tournaments this fall, as the Phoenix, Ariz., native finishing the two-day tournament with an average of 219 over nine games (1,971 total pinfall), topping runner-up Stefanie Nation of Central Florida by 99 pins. A two-time All-American and two-time reigning U.S. Amateur champion, Pluhowsky has now won a school-record nine tournament titles in two-plus seasons at Nebraska.

"She is the best bowler in the history of college bowling, and she proves it every time she competes," Straub said. "She lapped the field this weekend, and has been dominant throughout the fall. She competes her best in the biggest tournaments, and that is one of the best things you can say about any athlete."

Pluhowsky was one of three Husker bowlers to place among the top 15 in the 190-bowler field. Freshman Amanda Burgoyne (Newport, Minn.) posted her second top-10 finish in as many tournaments, placing ninth with a 190 average, while Adrianne Miller (Albuquerque, N.M.) placed 15thwith a 183 average.

Straub said that he was pleased with the team’s effort, especially when considering that several team members battled the flu throughout the weekend.

"It really was a struggle for them and it made the scores we put up even more remarkable," Straub said. "We shuttled people from the lanes back and forth to the hotel to give them as much rest as possible, but they fought through it and showed a lot of courage."

The Huskers will be off for their longest break of the year, as the Huskers’ next competition is scheduled for Jan. 17-18, when they compete in the Southern Varsity Invitation in Baton Rouge, La.