Greensboro, N.C. - The No. 6 Nebraska bowling team wrapped up its regular season schedule for the 2023-24 year, finishing seventh at the NCATSU Stallings Invitational with a 7-6 record and ending with a 79-36 mark overall.
Securing the sixth-place seed, the Huskers faced a trio of ranked opponents for Sunday's bracket. Match one would be against No. 11 Sam Houston State. The Bearkats took the win in game one (202-189) before the Big Red answered back in game two (201-198) to tie it up. Nebraska battled the next two games of the series (160-197, 172-212), but could not find rhythm before Sam Houston sealed up the 4-1 victory in game five (183-167). The Huskers would then advance to face their second ranked opponent of the day, No. 9 Duquesne.
Match two against the Dukes would be a seven game battle against the Cornhuskers. Duquesne came out of the game with a double win (224-177, 215-191) before the Big Red claimed game three (245-178). The Dukes would take a 3-1 lead after game four (175-167), but Nebraska didn’t back down. With double wins in games five (182-171) and six (198-183), the score was tied 3-3 heading into game seven. Lane difficulty would prove to be too much for Nebraska tallying only 166 against the Dukes’ 188 giving them the 4-3 victory.
With one final match of the regular season, Nebraska was determined to end strong. No. 13 Mount St. Marys would face the Huskers in match three where Nebraska kept its foot on the gas through its entirety. With a trio of 200s in games one (231-124) two (225-138) and three (207-189), the Big Red had a comfortable 3-0 lead before sealing the 4-0 sweep in game four (151-123) to end the regular season.
This is the Huskers first season without a regular season tournament title since the teams most recent National Championship year 2021. Nebraska finished the season with Double Runner-Up finishes at the Storming Blue and White Vegas Classic and Flyer Classic. The Huskers also added a pair of third-place finishes at the SFA Ladyjack Classic and Motiv Penguin Classic. With a fourth-place showing at the Prairie View A&M Invite, a trio of fifth-place showings at the Track Kat Klash, Northeast Classic, and Mid-Winter Invite, this weekend's tournament marks the lowest finish all season.
Although no tournament title to hoist, the Huskers hold a 79-36 season win/loss record and currently sit No. 4 in the nation in RPI rankings, which ultimately decide placements for teams in the post season.
Up next, the Huskers await their fate for the 2024 National Championship selection show, in hopes of continuing their journey for a NCAA title.
Mid-Winter Invitational Final Results:
No. 3 Arkansas State
No. 1 Jacksonville State
No. 4 North Carolina A&T
No. 5 Vanderbilt
No. 9 Duquense
No. 11 Sam Houston State
No. 6 Nebraska
No. 13 Mount St. Mary's
No. 14 Maryland Eastern Shore
No. 12 Tulane
LMU
University of Alabama Birmingham
Howard
Belmont Abbey
Norfolk State
Texas Southern
Coppin State
FAMU