HUSKER BOWLING: Nebraska In Top Spot At Big Red Invite

LINCOLN–(NU Athletics Feb. 28)–The No. 3 Nebraska Bowling team is in first after day one of competition at the Big Red Invitational.

Former Huskers Jen Davis-Korn, Kaleena Henning-Shannon, Kelly Belzeski, and Melanie Epperson all threw out the ceremonial first balls.

Nebraska’s starting rotation was Allison Morris, Estefania Prieto, Michelle Guarro, Leah Glazer, and Raquel Orozco.

Starting off the tournament, Nebraska beat Valparaiso 962-885. NU won the first game by a total pinfall of 195-178, however fell in the next two games 187-197 and 196-202. The Huskers rebounded om the fourth game winning 191-149. The game ended with four consecutive strikes. The Huskers won the fifth game 191-149 with three strikes in a row in the fifth, sixth and seventh frames. This put NU in fifth in the standings out of eight teams.

The Huskers marched on to face Texas Southern. Nebraska won the first match 235-198 while recording four straight strikes along the way. NU collected another win, out bowling Texas Southern 211-184 in the third game. Orozco finished the tenth frame with three strikes. The bowling team fell in the third game 226-244, but came back strong in the fourth to win 224-190. In its fifth game, NU closed the deal, winning 202-175. The Huskers beat Texas Southern 1,098-991.

Their third matchup of the day was against No. 8 Youngstown State. The Huskers started out strong with back-to-back wins scoring 224-212 and 203-194. The momentum swung in Youngstown State’s favor as Nebraska lost the other two 200-214 in game three and 190-236 in game four. Cassidy Ray subbed in for Glazer before the fifth game. The Huskers finished strong with a 213-194 victory, but it wasn’t enough as NU suffered its only loss of the day 1,030-1,050. Despite the loss, the Huskers still sat first in the standings with a total pinfall of 3,090.

Looking for a comeback win, Nebraska moved on to face No. 12 Central Missouri. NU opened the matchup with a strong first game, winning 225-156. They kept the momentum rolling as they won the second game 225-175. Another victory was in the books as the Huskers took game three 224-166. Guarro, Glazer, and Orozco finished the game by combining for five straight strikes. In the fourth game, the Huskers fell 213-224. Orozco finished the game strong collecting three more strikes in the tenth frame. The bowling team fell 212-217 in the final game, but were able to collect the overall victory 1,099-938.

The last match of the day for the Huskers was against Prairie View A&M where Nebraska fell in the first two games 179-221 and 205-258. The bowling team looked to rebound as they won the third game 226-202. During the third game, Kendyl Hofmeister was subbed in for Guarro. With the momentum in their favor, they moved on to game four to collect a 225-180 victory. Finishing out the game, the Huskers had six straight strikes. The Huskers were victorious in the fifth game with a score of 223-181. NU narrowly took down Prairie View A&M 1,058-1,042.

Action will resume Saturday at 9:25 a.m. with traditional bowling. The doors will open for the event at 8:00 a.m.

Big Red Invitational Standings after Day One

No. 3 Nebraska (5,247)
No. 5 Arkansas State (5,129)
No. 8 Youngstown State (5,126)
No. 12 Central Missouri (4,860)
Prairie View A&M (4,833)
Valparaiso (4,643)
Augustana (4,562)
Texas Southern (4,471)