The University of Maryland Eastern Shore’s (UMES) bid to be the first team in the history of women’s bowling to win back-to-back-to-back titles ended in the semi-final round of the 2013 NCAA Women’s Bowling Championships late Friday night.
UMES and rival Vanderbilt went toe-to-toe in a match some on site were calling it one of the greatest matches ever in NCAA Championship history. It ended in gave seven with a single pin as the difference.
The shot was the fill ball in the tenth frame and it was perfect, with the exception of a 10-pin.
After the match was tied three games apiece, UMES, the higher seed in the event got lane choice. They chose to stay on the right where they had just won, rolling a 202. More importantly Vandy hadn’t rolled well on the left with a 184. The Commodores threw two quick strikes followed by five straight spares.
In comparison UMES opened with a turkey and followed it with three spares of their own. Vandy, on the left had to bowl first and the Hawks knew that in the nip and tuck match every pin mattered. When they saw that the Commodores spared they knew they had to strike.
UMES couldn’t strike in their final frames and spared their eighth and ninth.
This is the 14th tournament the Hawks bowled this season and the first they were not first or second. They end the NCAA season at 116-26.
In the first six games the heavyweights just slugged it out. The Hawks took game one 218-192, tossing five strikes over the final five frames to offset a turkey in the tenth for Vandy.
Game two was also a burn for the Hawks. One pin the prequel. Vanderbilt’s Earnest struck out to give the ‘Dores a 203 while Falbo struck on her first ball, she spared the fill balls and that one pin would bite the Hawks for the first time. At least they all fell down that time.
The third game was also close. Both squads left 7-2 opens in the eighth frame but the Commodores strung four strikes together from the fourth through seventh frames to hold the edge. UMES had three strikes and a spare. The Hawks had 203, Vandy 209. Six pins that time.
UMES dominated in the fourth game, posting a 248 after flushing the first six. Vanderbilt had the last five balls for strikes but mustered a 227 to make the match tied at two each.
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