By Cameron Stubbs
The Youngstown State University bowling team made the trip north to Kenosha, Wisconsin to participate in the MOTIV Ladyjack Classic hosted by Stephen F. Austin State University Nov. 11 to 13, then headed to Millsboro, Delaware to participate in their final fall tournament at the Eastern Shore Hawk Classic hosted by the University of Maryland on Nov. 18 to 20.
After finishing runner-up in the MOTIV Penguin Classic and the DezyStrong Classic, the No. 9 ranked Penguins came into Wisconsin looking to improve on their stellar start.
Day One opened with five Baker matches. The opening match was dropped to the No. 2 ranked Vanderbilt University 1,149-915.
Following the loss, the Penguins proceeded with four straight wins including wins against No. 20 ranked Lewis University 1,026-901 and No. 18 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater 983-840.
Juniors Kirsten Moore, Madyson Marx and sophomore Jade Côté led the way, participating in each match.
Day Two saw a slate of ranked opponents, as the Penguins progressed to 3-2 on the day.
Wins over the No. 4 ranked Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks, No. 6 ranked Arkansas State University and No. 25 ranked Newman University came on the backs of five Penguins who finished in the top 30 of individual performances.
Leading the way was Moore, who finished in eighth place on the day with 1,115 total pins. Following her was Marx in 15th with 1,072 pins and sophomore Madison Doseck in 16th place with 1,067 pins.
Sophomore Lyndsay Ennis finished in 26th with 1,025 pins and Côté rounded out the top 30 with 992 pins.
Day Three Baker Matches started off with wins against Carthage College and North Central University, followed by losses to top ranked Mckendree University and No. 3 ranked University of Nebraska-Lincoln in a 4-0 sweep in a best-of-seven Baker.
Overall, the Penguins finished in sixth place among 14 teams for the three-day tournament.
Moore commented on the team’s energy for the season as it has tried new methods to improve play.
“Something that we’re trying to stress this year is good team energy,” Moore said. “Last year, we had a couple tournaments where we had bad team energy and it really affected our results negatively, so this year we are trying to stay together as a team, cheer each other on and just be a better team overall.”
The energy was on full display as the Penguins then headed to Millsboro, Delaware to participate in their final fall tournament at the Eastern Shore Hawk Classic.
The tournament began with a three-win day for the Penguins as No. 11 ranked Mount St. Mary’s University, Mercyhurst University and Wilmington University all fell to the Penguins.
No. 7 ranked North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University handed Youngstown State its lone loss on the day 988-896.
Day Two of the tournament saw improvement as the Penguins accomplished a 4-1 record.
Wins over No. 13 ranked Duquesne University and the No. 14 ranked Hawks started the day off. The lone loss came from No. 19 ranked Morgan State University in a low scoring 833-781 match.
The Penguins bounced back, beating Monmouth University and Saint Francis University to claim sixth place overall.
Day Three was the best day for the Penguins as they cruised to a 3-0 record on the day versus ranked opponents.
Knocking off No. 5 ranked Sam Houston State University, No. 12 Delaware State University and No. 10 Fairleigh Dickinson University in best-of-seven Baker matches, the Penguins slid into a third place finish among 18 teams.
Head coach Doug Kuberski commented on the performance of the first half of the season.
“Consistency, we’re really focused on that this year,” Kuberski said. “We’re not focusing on the score so much, it’s really our process and our work day in, and day out and I’m really proud of our group for doing that.”
The Penguins, ranked 7th in the nation, will not return to action until next semester Jan. 20, 2023, at the Northeast Classic in Deptford, New Jersey hosted by Long Island University and Sacred Heart University.
For updates, live stats and more on the tournament, visit ysusports.com.