Video above is from KSN News at 10 on Saturday, April 5
LANSING, Mich. (GoShockers) -- Wichita State's women's bowling team swept its way to the Lansing Regional championship and a spot in the NCAA Final Four, knocking off Vanderbilt 2-0 on Saturday afternoon at Royal Scot Bowling Center.
The
Shockers (87-36) advance to take on top seed and defending NCAA champion Jacksonville State on Friday in Las Vegas. #2-seed Nebraska and #3-seed Youngstown State make up the remainder of the bracket. The start times for the matches at Suncoast Lanes have not been determined.
Wichita State put up at least 999 pins in all six of their matches at the competition. The Shockers got started on Friday by cruising past Felician, claiming the traditional point 999-847 before polishing off the victory with a 1,088-953 victory in the Baker match to set up a showdown with Vanderbilt, who defeated Fairleigh Dickinson to advance. After falling into an early hole, the Shockers surged in the middle frames to create separation and cruised to a 1,046-963 traditional win. The Baker match featured several wild swings as the Shockers scored 255, 258 and 234 on the left lane but managed only 170 and 162 on the right lane; the three big numbers were enough as WSU claimed the match, 1,079-982 to secure a spot in the regional final.
Vanderbilt knocked out FDU early on Saturday morning, advancing to the final where the Commodores would need to defeat Wichita State twice. The Shockers created no such drama, kicking off the day with a 1,031-928 traditional win that was highlighted by a 234 from Piper Reams and a 227 from Aleesha Oden. In the Baker match, Wichita State held just an 11-pin lead heading into the final game but took advantage of four consecutive strikes from the fifth through the eighth frames to create breathing room. Oden's double in the 10th sealed a 1,044-1,002 win and the Shockers' trip to Las Vegas.
After starting the season 1-3 against the Commodores, Wichita State defeated Vanderbilt seven straight times.
Oden posted the highest individual score for a Shocker during the competition, carding a 245 in the Felician traditional game. Sara Duque Jiménez logged the top score of WSU's first win over Vanderbilt, firing a 228. ...read more read less
