Huskers Start Destination Orlando in Ninth

Orlando, Fla. - The No. 2 Nebraska bowling team began play in the Destination Orlando tournament Friday, finishing day one in ninth place with a record of 2-3, tallying a total pinfall of 4,763 and a 190.5 average. 

Nebraska started the weekend with a match against Texas Southern. The Big Red would trot out Karina Capron, Abigail Starkey, Haley Swindle, Desiree Buchert, and Jillian Martin to start match one. In game one of that contest, a slow start and an open frame off a split in the 5th made it seem as though NU would be outpaced by Texas Southern. But they bounced back tremendously, striking seven-straight - including a triple from Martin in the 10th – taking game one with a 234-160 margin. Game two was not so great for the Big Red. Four open frames off three splits hamstrung the Huskers as they posted their lowest total of the season thus far, dropping game two 166-146, but still holding the match total lead at 380-326. Game three was taken easily by NU after Texas Southern posted seven open frames to the tune of a 210-112 Nebraska victory, increasing their match lead to 590-438. Game four was the closest yet of the first match with Texas Southern rallying late, but Nebraska held on for a slim 179-176 win with the match lead settling at 769-614. Game five was another uncharacteristically weak performance from the Huskers, posting a 194-163 loss to close out the match, but still maintaining the total lead at 932-808, moving to 1-0 to begin the tournament. 

Match two pitted Nebraska against a fellow top-ranked team, No. 6 Arkansas State. Game one of the match saw the Red Wolves take an early victory against the Huskers, starting 213-182 in Arkansas State’s favor. Game two looked to be a similar story, but a strong finish helped the Huskers win game two 225-209, shortening Arkansas State’s lead to 422-407. Game three was the equalizer, with the Big Red rocketing back to take the win 233-196 and the total lead at 640-618. In game four, however, the Huskers ran into issues with open frames again, allowing Arkansas State to take the win 232-166 and the lead right back to bring the match total to 850-806 in the Red Wolves’ favor. The fifth game of the contest had Arkansas State solidify its lead with a 202-187 win, taking the match 1052-993 and handing NU its first loss of the tournament early, only its second loss of the season overall to that point. 

Match three’s opponent was No. 14 Mount St. Mary’s, which NU was able to beat to take the lead in game one at a close 222-213. In game two, spare trouble plagued the Huskers once more as Mount St. Mary’s would take the game 206-159 and the match lead at 419-381. Game three followed suit, with open frames from Nebraska allowing The Mount to take a 631-554 match lead after a 212-173 lead. Brenna Hartzler would check in for Swindle in game four, where a triple from Martin in the 10th couldn’t push the Huskers into the lead, dropping a third straight game 184-172 as Mount St. Mary’s would take a commanding 815-726 match lead. Game five had Lani Breedlove check in for Starkey, and Swindle check in for Capron, while Hartzler slid into the first spot. Shuffling the lineup did yield a 170-115 victory in the final game, but The Mount would still take the match 930-896, handing NU its third loss of the season and second straight in this tournament. 

Match four pitted NU against Emmanuel, where the Huskers would take game one handily, 212-117. Game two wasn’t as easy, with the Lions winning it 231-182 on a tremendous bounce back, trimming Nebraska’s match lead to 394-348. The Huskers battled back in game three, getting the win 195-134 and extending their lead to 589-482. Game four had a similarly strong showing, with NU winning 193-168 and further widening the match margin to 782-650. The Big Red would drop the final game of the match 192-165 but would ultimately finish with a 947-842 lead, evening their record on the day to 2-2. 

In the day’s final match, the Huskers would take on No. 3 Vanderbilt, winning the first game 200-188. A close one in game two was ultimately won by Nebraska 217-216 on the back of a triple by Martin in the 10th.  Game three had solid performances from both teams, but Vanderbilt came out on top in the end, 239-214, taking the match lead at 643-631 going into game four. The Commodores would once again win in game four, 192-184, but the Huskers were still in it with the match score a 20-pin difference of 835-815, even with Vanderbilt leading going into the final game of the day. In game five, NU was able to cut that lead to only five pins with a 180-165 victory, but the Commodores held strong, winning the match 1000-995, handing Nebraska its third loss and dropping them to 2-3 at the end of day one. 

The Big Red returns to the lanes tomorrow at 7:25 a.m. (CT) against No. 4 Youngstown State in a traditional match, followed by more traditional matches against Bryant, Prairie View A&M, No. 19 Tulane, and No. 9 Louisiana Tech. 

Stay up to date with the action by following the Nebraska Women's Bowling Twitter (@HuskerBowling), Instagram (@huskerbowling) and Facebook. 

 

Destination Orlando Top 10 Standings (Pinfall After First Day of Competition) 

No. 1 Jacksonville State – 5,257 

No. 3 Vanderbilt – 5,069 

No. 5 Wichita State – 5,051 

No. 9 Louisiana Tech – 5,024 

No. 6 Arkansas State – 4,932 

No. 18 UAB – 4,870 

No. 19 Tulane – 4,815 

No. 10 Maryville – 4,783 

No. 2 Nebraska – 4,763 

No. 11 Sacred Heart – 4,691