Huskers Take Fourth on Day 1 of Big Red Invite

Lincoln – The top-ranked Nebraska bowling team began its home tournament with a fourth place showing on the first day of the Big Red Invitational Thursday evening. The Cornhuskers won two of their four five-game Baker matches and finished with a pinfall of 4,052 Thursday in front of a raucous crowd at Sun Valley Lanes.

“We had a great crowd on hand,” Nebraska head coach Bill Straub said. “The fans were very supportive. Certainly the kids like it.”

No. 2 Arkansas State won the overall standings for day 1 with a pinfall of 4,223. Red Wolves head coach Justin Kostick was a member of the Nebraska men’s bowling club team from 1999 to 2004 and was coached by Straub.

No. 8 Central Missouri took second with a pinfall of 4,150 while No. 6 Sam Houston State finsihed third with a pinfall of 4,073. No. 7 Wisconsin-Whitewater rounded out the top five with a pinfall of 3,968.

NU began the evening with a match against Sam Houston State. The Huskers shot out of the gates with five consecutive strikes in the first game, but a strong finish from the Bearkats contributed to a 38-point SHSU lead. The Bearkats did not look back, ultimately defeating the Huskers by a score of 1,076-1,025.

In the second match of the night, Nebraska battled No. 15 Valparaiso, which had defeated the Huskers in a Baker format match the previous week. Trailing by eight pins going into the sixth frame of the first game, NU used strikes from Meghan Straub, Melanie Crawford and Briana Zabierek to take the game 198-192. The Huskers also flexed their muscle in the third game, hitting three consecutive strikes in frames 2-4 on the way to a 13-point victory. NU used strong performances in games four and five to close out the Crusaders, 998-923.

The Huskers then took on No. 9 McKendree and used a dominating performance to defeat the Bearcats 1,021-884. After dropping a seven-pin decision in the first game, the Huskers outscored the Bearcats by 144 pins the rest of the way. NU did not leave any open frames in games two and five to pave the way.

In the nightcap, NU dropped a high-scoring match to No. 2 Arkansas State by a score of 1,025-1,008.

The Huskers will return to the lanes Saturday morning for six traditional team matches. The morning kicks off with the first three matches at 9 a.m. Following a break for lunch, the competition will continue with the final three matches at 1:25 p.m. Per rules of the event, each day is a separate tournament. Admission is free all weekend. For information on the event including a link to live scoring, please check huskers.com.

Big Red Invite Day 1 Standings (Pinfall)
1. Arkansas State: 4,223
2. Central Missouri: 4,150
3. Sam Houston State: 4,073
4. Nebraska: 4,052
5. Wisconsin-Whitewater: 3,968
6. Valparaiso: 3,734
7. McKendree (Ill.): 3,609
8. Lincoln (Mo.): 2,848