Huskers In Second After Music City Classic Day One

Lincoln – The fifth-ranked Nebraska bowling team sits in second place after the first day of the Music City Classic.

“The team played really well all day today,” Head Coach Paul Klempa stated. “I mentioned before the event that the team has been trending the right direction in recent weeks and today was further evidence of that being the truth. The team’s execution was very sound today, especially under pressure. I am proud of the team and how well they are performing and representing Nebraska. Tomorrow we go right back to work.”

In the first matchup of the day, NU faced Spalding, walking away with a 1,060-803 victory. The Huskers’ lineup consisted of Michelle Guarro, Gwen Maeha, Kayla Verstraete, Cassidy Ray and Crystal Elliott as the anchor. Nebraska won the first two games 217-124 and 183-157 to take an early 2-0 lead. Spalding won the third game 191-209, but the Huskers came back to win the final two games 236-125 and 233-188.

Next up, the bowlers faced No. 17 Tulane, where they came away with another success, winning the matchup 959-880. The first two games were split with NU taking the first one 187-155 and falling in the second 190-207. Kendyl Hofmeister was substituted in for Maeha in the second game. NU followed up the loss by winning the next two games 167-150 and 225-175 before falling in the last game 190-193.

NU had a bye in the middle of the day, but tallied a score of 1,120 to add to its total pinfall. The Huskers bowled frames of 245, 223, 225, 245 and 182.

No. 25 Valparaiso was on the docket for the Huskers as they powered forward to a 928-898 win for a 3-0 record. NU found victory in its first game 165-158, however was narrowly defeated in game two, 207-213. The Huskers never looked back winning the last three games 180-177, 176-159 and 200-191.

Finishing out the day, NU went on to face No. 3 Vanderbilt and came away with a 1,016-921 win to go to 4-0 on the day. The bowlers fell 173-180 before bouncing back 202-189 to even the score at 1-1. Game three led to another Husker win at 202-195, as the bowlers earned 234-215 and 205-142 victories to close out the day.

The tournament continues Saturday at 9:30 a.m. with the Huskers matching up against No. 6 Louisiana Tech.

Music City Classic Day One Standings

1. No. 1 McKendree (5,253)

2. No. 5 Nebraska (5,083)

3. No. 16 Stephen F. Austin (5,019)

4. No. 6 Louisiana Tech (4,972)

5. No. 22 Central Missouri (4,824)

6. No. 17 Tulane (4,778)

7. No. 8 Sam Houston State (4,757)

8. No. 4 North Carolina A&T (4,744)

9. No. 23 Wisconsin-Whitewater (4,585)

10. Jackson State (4,572)

11. No. 14 Maryville (4,571)

12. No. 15 Lincoln Memorial (4,522)

13. No. 25 Valparaiso (4,505)

14. No. 3 Vanderbilt (4,480)

15. Tusculum (4,457)

16. Alabama State (4,403)

17. Kentucky Wesleyan (4,336)

18. No. 21 UAB (4,201)

19. Spalding (3,850)