Huskers Finish Day Two of Bulldog Classic in Sixth

Fort Worth, Tex. - Day two of the Bulldog classic was just as fruitful for the No. 2 ranked Nebraska bowling team as yesterday, as they would go 7-3, finishing the day in 6th place with a total pinfall of 10,196 and a 203.9 average. The day consisted of five traditional matches, with the starting five for the Big Red being Brenna Hartzler, Desiree Buchert, Abigail Starkey, Kayla Starr, and Jillian Martin. Coming off a 1202-pin performance in the last match of day one, Nebraska looked to keep the ball rolling with more strong play. 

The first match of the day had the Huskers take on a fellow top-25 team, the No. 8 ranked Sam Houston Bearkats. Each member of the lineup posted solid scores, led by Martin (227) and Starr (224), with Buchert (215) also finishing above 200. Hartzler and Starkey would add 174 and 173, respectively, contributing towards the team’s 1013-974 victory over the Bearkats, moving to 5-1 on the weekend. 

Match two was against the hosts, the No. 9-ranked Louisiana Tech Bulldogs, who posted a 1067 in their first match of the day. The Huskers had Karina Capron check in for Starkey to start the match. Difficulties with open frames ultimately cost Nebraska, as they fell to the Bulldogs 958-921, moving their tournament record to 5-2. 

The Big Red had a date with No. 6 Arkansas State for their third match of the day. The Red Wolves were able to jump into an early lead with every bowler striking their first frame, while more open frames plagued the Huskers. Lani Breedlove would check in for Starr in the 6th frame, but despite her and the rest of the lineup’s best efforts, including heroic triples from Hartzler and Capron in the 10th, Arkansas State amassed too large a lead for NU to come back and would win the match 1076-1020, knocking NU down to 5-3 on the weekend. In that game, Martin (237) and Hartzler (236) would finish above 230, Starr and Breedlove’s combined efforts would net 183 pins, and Buchert and Capron would finish with 182 apiece. The loss would make NU’s tournament record 5-3 going into match four. 

Match four featured yet another top-25 team, No. 11 Sacred Heart. The Huskers would rebound nicely in this one, taking down the Pioneers 1046-966 in a match that included seven-strike performances from both Breedlove (247) and Capron (246). Hartzler would tack on 191, while Buchert and Martin would add 181 each. The win elevated Nebraska’s record to 6-3 as they moved on to match five. 

The final match of day two would pit the Huskers against the Prairie View A&M Panthers. Buchert (214) and Breedlove (213) were bright spots in this contest, with Capron and Martin adding 199 and 178, respectively, while Hartzler contributed 137. Their combined efforts would defeat the Panthers 941-902, allowing Nebraska to move to 7-3 at the end of day two. 

The Huskers resume play tomorrow at 8:55 a.m. (CT) in bracket play against No. 3 Vanderbilt in the first of three best 4-of-7 baker matches, looking to avenge their loss against the Commodores earlier in the tournament. 

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

Top 10 Standings After Day 2 (By Total Pinfall) 

No. 1 Jacksonville State – 10,792 

No. 6 Arkansas State – 10,520 

No. 11 Sacred Heart – 10,317 

No. 5 Wichita State – 10,315 

No. 3 Vanderbilt – 10,262 

No. 2 Nebraska – 10,196 

No. 9 Louisiana Tech – 10,167 

No. 8 Sam Houston – 9,918 

No. 19 Tulane – 9,678 

Alabama State – 9,436