READING, PA. - The No. 14 nationally-ranked LIU Brooklyn bowling team had a strong second day at the Kutztown Invitational in Reading, Pa., going 3-1 as a team in traditional play, and notching one of their biggest team wins of the season, a win over No. 5 Sam Houston State. Two days into the three-day event, LIU has a 193.1 average and ranks 16th out of 27 teams.
The Blackbirds received an unexpected bye in the first round of matches on Saturday, due to a late opponent's cancellation. LIU bowled a 1010 as a team in the bye spot, led by Alyssa Balicki's 233. Freshman Kellie Frain bowled a 224, and Kayla Johnson had a 214 to open the day. The strong early performance set the stage for their next opponents, the fifth-ranked Bearkats. Senior Lauren McKowen led the way in the match, bowling a 241, followed closely by a 234 from Balicki. Johnson had her second strong game of the day, bowling a 203 to help LIU seal the win, 1,054 to 1,021.
Next up for LIU was No. 9 Tulane, and despite a 224 from McKowen and a 204 from Balicki, the Blackbirds were 100 pins shy, 1,045-945.
In the third match of the day, the Blackbirds had a 967-855 win over Youngstown State. Johnson threw a 224 to lead LIU, while Balicki (208) and McKowen (202) continued to be consistently strong for LIU.
The Blackbirds capped the day with a close win against No. 24 Monmouth, 878-869. McKowen led the Blackbirds in the final win of the day, bowling a 212.
NEXT UP
Pin action at Heister Lanes for Sunday's best-of-seven bracket playoff matches begin at 8:30 a.m. The Blackbirds will start in the 16th position, facing NEC rival Duquesne.