Feb. 22, 2009
INDIANAPOLIS -- Vanderbilt's bowling team saved its best effort of the day for last and as a result, jumped into third place after the first day of the Hoosier Classic.
The Commodores, rated No. 1 in the NCAA, are competing in a huge university club team event with 27 other women's teams while the men's field adds another 50 to the crowded Woodland Bowl.
Vanderbilt registered the fourth-best team score of the long day to defeat Florida State, 1,003-917 and trails Central Florida and Wichita State heading into Sunday's action.
There are three more team games tomorrow before the field is trimmed to the top eight squads based on total pinfall. An NCAA-like 8-team bracket will then play Baker games to determine the team champ.
The tournament is well known for attracting the best club teams in America and also for its difficult lane conditions. Vanderbilt learned quickly that this was not exaggeration.
"This is one of the most challenging tournaments we will see in terms of lane conditions," said senior Michelle Peloquin, who was one of the most consistent Commodores on the day. Peloquin fashioned scores of 191-162-213-201-182-196.
To compound the unusual competitive environment, while winter winds whipped snow and ice on the outside of the center, bowlers struggled with unusually warm conditions on the inside.
Vanderbilt seemed out of sync at the start of the day. Josie Earnest, the team's reliable anchor suffered five splits in the first game alone, possibly attributed to her early morning arrival in Indianapolis after receiving the Tennessee Female Athlete of the Year Award Friday night at the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame Banquet in Nashville.
One of the sparkplugs for the Commodores all day was senior Karen
Grygiel, who had games of 182-201-180 and 201. She also came in as a substitute and helped pull out a 193 game in a team win over Lindenwood.
"It was a tough shot," the Brick, N.J. native said, "but going in I had the mindset to control the pocket, don't become frustrated and convert spares. In that last game we took a bit advantage of the lanes opening up a bit and we had some nice momentum working for us."
Another bright spot was Brittany Garcia, who was inserted into the lead-off spot in the last game and responded with a 203. She has a knack of firing off strikes and she began with five strikes in her first seven frames.
On the day, Vanderbilt won five of six matches although the totals do not count toward NCAA statistics.
Top 8 Teams (Field of 28)
Central Florida 5,708
Wichita State 5,644
Vanderbilt 5,487
McKendree 5,377
Lindenwood 5,357
Pikeville 5,326
Robert Morris 5,150
Purdue 5,129
Vanderbilt 845 Indiana 787
Kane 158
Peloquin 191
Grygiel 182
Hamilton 181
Earnest 133
Vanderbilt 916 Wright State 861
Kane 177
Peloquin 162
Grygiel 201
Hamilton 202
Earnest 174
Wichita State 996 Vanderbilt 920
Kane 163
Peloquin 213
Grygiel 180
Hamilton 164
Earnest 200
Vanderbilt 886 Spaulding 635
Kane 166
Peloquin 201
Morrrison 153
Hamilton 179
Earnest 187
Vanderbilt 917 Lindenwood 852
Kane 180
Peloquin 182
Morrison-Grygiel 193
Hamilton 173
Earnest 189
Vanderbilt 1,003 Florida State 917
Garcia 203
Peloquin 196
Grygiel 201
Hamilton 185
Earnest 218
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