Huskers Head to Houston for KAT Klash

#1 Nebraska Cornhuskers at KAT Klash

Friday-Sunday, Nov. 4-6, 10:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 8:20 a.m. (CT) – Houston, Texas (Emerald Lanes)

Huskers Head to Houston for KAT Klash
The top-ranked Nebraska bowling team returns to action this Friday through Sunday at the KAT Klash at Emerald Lanes in Houston, Texas. The tournament is hosted by Sam Houston State, and the Cornhuskers are winners of the past two editions.

Eighteen teams will compete this weekend in Houston, including 10 ranked teams and three others receiving votes in the National Tenpin Coaches Association 2016-17 Preseason Poll. The top four teams in the nation and six of the top 10 teams in the preseason poll will bowl at the tournament.

The list of teams joining the Huskers in Texas this weekend includes second-ranked Stephen F. Austin, No. 3 Arkansas State and No. 4 Vanderbilt. Sixth-ranked Sam Houston State, which won the season-opening Wildcat Invitational, and No. 7 Central Missouri will also compete at the KAT Klash this weekend. No. 12 Delaware State, No. 18 Tulane, No. 22 Prairie View A&M and No. 24 Jackson State will also be in attendance. Alabama State, Bethune-Cookman and Lincoln Memorial received votes in the preseason poll, while Grambling State, Louisiana Tech, Southern, Texas Southern and Youngstown State round out the list of teams at the tournament.

The Huskers are coming off of a fifth-place finish at the Wildcat Invitational the weekend of Oct. 21-23. Julia Bond led the way for NU, finishing fifth overall with an average of 220.2. Kelly Belzeski joined Bond in the top 15, posting a 192.6 average, good for 15th overall. The Big Red took down 16th-ranked Monmouth in the fifth-place match, and went 6-6 overall on the weekend.

Competition begins Friday morning at 10:30 a.m. (CT) with six sets of five-game Baker matches, followed by five traditional matches on Saturday morning, beginning at 10:30 a.m. Combined results from Friday and Saturday will determine the seeding for Sunday’s bracket-play championship tournament, in which each team will play three rounds of best-of-seven Baker matches, beginning at 8:20 a.m.

KAT Klash Notes
The Huskers have won the KAT Klash in each of the last two seasons, and have finished in the top five in each of the last four years. NU defeated hosts Sam Houston State in the championship match by a score of 4-3 last season. The Huskers defeated seven ranked teams on the way to an 11-3 record at the 2015 edition, while Julia Bond and Gazmine Mason earned spots on the all-tournament team, as Bond finished third in the individual standings with a 214.4 average and Mason placed fifth with a 208.6 average.

Huskers Open Season With Fifth-Place Finish
Nebraska opened its season with a fifth-place finish at the Wildcat Invitational at Boardwalk Bowl in Orlando, Fla the weekend of Oct. 21-23. NU defeated 16th-ranked Monmouth in the fifth-place match, one of three ranked teams the Huskers took down on the weekend. NU went 6-6 overall during the tournament.

Bond Posts Top-Five Finish
Junior Julia Bond led the way for the Huskers in the individual standings at the Wildcat Invitational, finishing fifth-overall with a 220.2 average. Bond now has nine top-five finishes in her career. Kelly Belzeski finished with an average of 192.6, which was good for 15th overall. Meghan Straub added a top-20 finish, earning the 18th spot with a 190.2 average, while Gazmine Mason finished 21st with a 189.4 average. Briana Zabierek, Allison Morris and Raquel Orozco also participated at the tournament to help the Huskers earn the fifth-place finish in Florida.

Huskers Voted Preseason No. 1
Nebraska earned the top spot in the National Tenpin Coaches Association 2016-17 Preseason Poll, released on Oct. 3. The Huskers garnered eight first-place votes and 1,312 points in the poll, just ahead of 2016 NCAA champion Stephen F. Austin, which received 1,302 points. Arkansas State ranked third, while Vanderbilt and McKendree rounded out the top five.

All-Americans Return in 2016-17
A trio of NTCA All-Americans return for Nebraska in the 2016-17 season. Julia Bond earned first-team NTCA All-America honors as a sophomore in 2015-16 after earning third-team honors as a freshman. Bond led the Huskers with an average of 210 out of the anchor spot last season, finishing first overall at the NCAA Championship with an average of 228.4. Gazmine Mason earned third-team NTCA All-America accolades for the second-consecutive year after posting a season average of 204.4 as a junior in 2015-16. Briana Zabierek earned honorable-mention All-America honors as a junior last season after averaging 203.6 on the year.

Seniors Look to Finish on Top in 2017
Gazmine Mason, Alexandra Mosquera and Briana Zabierek have each won an NCAA championship and been members of two NCAA runner-up squads and are looking to capture the NCAA title again in 2017. Mason, a two-time NTCA All-American, posted one victory and two top-five finishes a season ago, while Zabierek earned NTCA honorable-mention All-America honors after notching two top-five finishes last season. Alexandra Mosquera has provided valuable depth throughout her Husker career, but looks to take a step forward and become a consistent contributor as a senior.

Junior Class Hopes to Take Next Step This Season
Juniors Julia Bond and Kelly Belzeski were a large part of Nebraska’s success in 2015-16, and each hopes to reach new heights this year. Bond earned two individual victories last season, including a first-place finish with a score of 228.4 at the NCAA Championship. She was a first-team All-American in 2015-16 and was the Most Outstanding Bowler at the 2015 NCAA Championship. Belzeski participated in nine of Nebraska’s 10 events a season ago and averaged a shade under 200 for the year. She looks to grab ahold of a top-five roster spot as a junior this season in hopes of helping Nebraska to another NCAA title.

Four Huskers Prepared to Step Up in Second Season
Sophomore Meghan Straub and redshirt freshmen Kelly Huddleston, Julie Lohman and Allison Morris added depth to the Big Red in 2015-16 and each will take on an increased role this season. Straub, the daughter of Nebraska Head Coach Bill and three-time All-American Kim (Berke) Straub, saw action in eight of Nebraska’s 10 events last season and added a top-10 finish at the Warhawk Invitational. Huddleston, Lohman and Morris each took a redshirt season and added valuable depth to the Huskers in 2015-16.

Freshmen Look to Contribute to Nebraska’s Success in 2016-17
Raquel Orozco, from Tijuana, Mexico, and Estefania Prieto, from Bogota, Colombia, join the Nebraska program as freshmen in 2016-17, with each bringing international experience to the Huskers. Orozco is a six-time Mexican national champion who represented her country at the 2016 World Bowling Youth Championships this summer at Sun Valley Lanes in Lincoln. Prieto competed for her country in multiple junior events, and was the 2012 Central America and Caribbean Sub-16 Champion.

Huskers Gain International Experience in 2016
Gazmine Mason and Julia Bond were selected to Junior Team USA for the 2016 season at the 2016 United States Bowling Congress (USBC) Team USA Trials held in early January. Bond and Mason represented the United States at the 2016 World Bowling Youth Championships, held July 24-August 3 at Sun Valley Lanes in Lincoln. Freshman Raquel Orozco also competed at the tournament for her native Mexico. Mason earned gold medals in singles and all-events, silver in doubles and team-of-four and bronze in masters, while Bond earned silver medals in doubles and team-of-four and bronze in singles.

Kuhlkin Sets Record With Three-Game Series Score of 890
Lizabeth Kuhlkin, a Husker from 2011 to 2015, set a USBC women’s record with a three-game series score of 890, which she bowled on Monday, Oct. 17 in the Reis Group Kim Brown Memorial League at Towne Bowling Academy in Schenectady, N.Y. Kuhlkin, a member of the Professional Women’s Bowling Association, was a three-time All-American and the 2015 National Collegiate Player of the Year for the Big Red.

Looking Ahead
Nebraska will return to action next weekend at the Warhawk Invitational in Kenosha, Wis. The tournament will run from Nov. 11-13. The Huskers won last year’s edition, posting a team average of 1,072.6, eighth in program history. Julia Bond finished second overall with a career-high average of 229, while Briana Zabierek finished third with an average of 225.2.

KAT Klash - Teams Competing
Nebraska
Sam Houston State
Alabama State
Arkansas State
Bethune-Cookman
Central Missouri
Delaware State
Grambling State
Jackson State
Louisiana Tech
Lincoln Memorial
Prairie View A&M
Stephen F. Austin
Southern
Texas Southern
Tulane
Vanderbilt
Youngstown State