Huskers Perfect Through One Day of Bearcat Classic

Fairview Heights, Ill. - The fifth-ranked Nebraska Bowling team ended the first day of the Bearcat Classic in second place. The team went 5-0 on day one, recording a total pinfall of 5,319 and a 212.8 average.

The Huskers began the day against No. 12 Newman. The starters for the Big Red were Desiree Buchert, Haley Swindle, Brenna Hartzler, Kayla Starr and Karina Capron. NU got off to a hot start, taking game one 242-198. The Jets kept the second game close, but the Huskers still pulled off the win, 212-210. Nebraska put together another dominant showing in game three to win 230-183. The momentum stayed with the Huskers as they then won game four 235-209 and game five 194-188, opening the tournament with a superb 1,113-988 victory.

Next up, the Big Red faced off against No. 21 Valparaiso, who were winners in their last match. The Beacons struck first, taking game one 213-201. Game two was even closer, with Valpo winning 209-201. The Beacons' production fell off in game three, allowing the Huskers to capitalize and seize the momentum, winning 206-179. They followed that up with a 207-182 game four and finally a 221-158 game five to win the match 1,036-941.

The third opponent of the day was No. 11 Wright State. The Big Red were the first to win, claiming game one 191-155. That was followed by a phenomenal 242-190 game two from the Huskers. Game three looked close to start, but NU pulled away to win three straight, 195-169. With the match's momentum firmly in the Huskers' grasp, they won game four 236-188 and game five 234-171, securing a dominant 1,098-873 match victory. 

Match four pitted the Huskers against No. 23 Central Missouri. The Jennies proved to be a difficult opponent as they took the first two games 188-183 and 194-170 while Nebraska struggled getting into their usual rhythm. The Huskers figured it out in game three, winning 198-175. They then capitalized on a bad game four from UCM to win 194-159 and take the lead. NU sealed it with a 242-175 win in game five to take the match 987-891.

The last match of the day featured the Huskers against Wisconsin-Whitewater. The Big Red started off slow, as the Warhawks jumped out to a early lead with a 181-171 win in game one and a 184-176 victory in game two. After that point, it was all Huskers as NU took game three 195-189 before coming two strikes short of perfection in game four to win 285-178. A 258-223 win in game five secured the match for the Huskers as they finished day one a perfect 5-0 with a 1,085-955 victory.

Nebraska returns to the lanes tomorrow, Nov. 14 at 9:30 a.m. CT for the first of five traditional matches against Aurora.

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