Husker Bowling Starts Saints Invite in Eighth

St. Louis, Mo. - The fourth-ranked Nebraska Bowling team finished day one of the Columbia 300 Saints Invite in eighth place, going 2-3 in five-game baker matches with a pinfall of 4,970 and a 198.8 average. 

The Huskers began the day against the eleventh-ranked Sacred Heart Pioneers. Starters for the Big Red would be Haley Swindle, Abby Starkey, Karina Capron, Kayla Starr and Jillian Martin. The first game had the Huskers get off to a strong start, but 4-10 splits would hamper both teams, with three open frames each going into the ninth. An open ninth from Sacred Heart killed their momentum, setting up Martin to triple in the tenth to secure a 182-151 victory. Open frames at the start of game two kept the Big Red from victory, while the Pioneers would bowl a 225 to narrowly win the second game, cutting NU’s match lead to a slim 398-376. The Huskers bounced back in game three, striking three to open and never looking back en route to a 247-202 thrashing, broadening their lead to 645-578. Game four would be a similar story, with a five-bagger in the back six putting Nebraska up again 239-202, further increasing their lead. The final game was close to start, with both teams posting multiple open frames, but a four-bagger in the final four frames sealed NU’s victory, 190-168, and the match win 1074-948, opening the weekend 1-0. 

The second match of the day pitted the Big Red against the sixteenth-ranked Newman Jets. The first game was a clean one from the Huskers, securing an early 215-187 lead. Game two would end up being closer, but it was ultimately Nebraska who came out on top, increasing their lead with a 225-214 score. Game three saw the Jets roar back to take their first game 246-185, taking the lead in the process 647-625. It would remain close for the majority of game four before a triple from Martin in the tenth secured the Husker’s victory 205-170, taking the match lead right back at 830-817. The decisive game five was messy, with both teams posting open frames, but it was Newman who would find the first measure of consistency, bowling a triple starting in the fifth that would put them ahead. The Huskers would try to keep up, but the Newman was too hot and would close it out with a 212-170 win that would allow them to win the match 1029-1000, knocking NU to 1-1 on the day. 

Match three’s opponent was the Oklahoma Christian Eagles. The first game had the Huskers come out on top 203-181 to build an early lead. Game two would be a different story, with the Big Red posting multiple open frames, costing them as the Eagles took the second game 180-159. A four-bagger at the start of game three helped Nebraska amass an early lead, which they would complement with another four-bagger starting in the eighth. The successive strikes would help the Scarlet and Cream secure a dominant 241-144 win to take a healthy 603-505 match lead. They’d keep their momentum into game four, winning 214-199, going into game five with an almost 100-pin lead. Oklahoma Christian would make a last valiant effort in game five, winning 216-183, but the Huskers’ lead was too great to overcome as they would walk away with their second win of the tournament 1000-920. 

The fourth match’s opponent was the Wisconsin Whitewater Warhawks. The Huskers would have a decent first game, but UWW came out of the gates firing on all cylinders, taking game one 242-205. The Big Red responded in turn, capitalizing on multiple open frames from the Warhawks to take game two 217-178. Game three saw the Big Red struggle with open frames of their own as costly splits allowed UWW to win game three 183-169. Desiree Buchert would check in for Starkey in game four, but four straight splits to start the game seemingly hamstrung the Huskers before they could get going. It would altogether be one of NU’s worst Baker performances of the season, as the Warhawks would claim a 214-144 win. Nebraska would take the final game, but the damage was already done, and they would drop their second match of the tournament as Wisconsin Whitewater would claim victory 1001-929. 

The day’s final match was against the sixth-ranked Wichita State Shockers. While the Huskers didn’t have a bad match by any means, WSU was at the top of their game. They would take the first two games by ten points each, never looking back on their way to a complete 1091-971 sweep. The loss to the Shockers would knock NU down to 2-3 on the first day. 

The Huskers return to the lanes tomorrow at 9:30 a.m. CT for the first of five traditional matches against Western Illinois. 

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