KENOSHA, Wisconsin – Just two tournaments into its inaugural season, the Jacksonville State bowling team has its first title.
The Gamecocks went a perfect 13-0 in the MOTIV Ladyjack Classic this weekend at Sheridan Lanes, including three wins on Sunday that were capped with a thrilling come-from-behind win over top-ranked Vanderbilt in the championship match.
After going 5-0 in Friday's Baker matches and 5-0 in Saturday's traditional play, Jax State earned the top seed for Sunday's championship bracket and kept its hot streak going. The Gamecocks started the day with a 4-1 win over third-ranked Nebraska, their second win over the Huskers in the tournament. They then eased past Carthage, 4-0, to set up the title match with the Commodores, a team they'd beaten twice in traditional play this season but had yet to face in Baker play.
The match was all Vandy to start, thanks to a 269-155 Commodores win in the first game. The two tied 192-192 in the second before Jax State fell behind 2.5-0.5 after a 195-187 Vandy win in the third match. The two teams tied the fourth and fifth games, pushing the Gamecocks to the brink of defeat, trailing 3.5-1.5.
Jax State went to work on its comeback trail, winning the sixth game 223-142 and then the seventh 204-173 to tie the match and force a tiebreaker. The Gamecocks prevailed by a single pin, winning 118-117 to win the match 4-3.5.
The first tournament title in school history comes just two weeks after the program started its inaugural season in its first tournament. The Gamecocks came close then, but they finished second at Destination Orlando.
Fifth-year senior
Crystal Elliott and senior
Isabel Allen earned All-Tournament honors for Jax State. Elliott had the third-highest average among all players in Saturday's traditional games, bowling an average of 222.80. She had a high game of 256 and was one of just three players with an average above 220. Allen was sixth in the field, averaging a 213.4 that was bolstered by a 245 in her first game.
The perfect weekend pushed the Gamecocks record to 21-5 on the young season but kept their hot streak alive. After going 2-3 on the first day of the season, they have now won 19 of their last 21 matches and made their case to improve upon the No. 7 ranking they received in the NTCA's Preseason Poll. The win also came against a stacked field of 16 teams that includes 12 teams ranked in that poll and seven that were in the Top 10.
Sunday started with a bang for Jax State, who rolled past No. 3 Nebraska, 4-1. The Gamecocks won the first game 212-169 and then watched the Huskers tie it with a 229-169 win in the second game. It would be all Jax State from there, winning the next three games by an average of more than 40 pins.
A 279 in game three was better than a solid 243 rolled by Nebraska, and the Gamecocks then won game four 232-180 and sealed the match with a 192-165 win in game five.
Four-straight wins over Carthage saw Jax State win by scores of 210-192, 184-179, 194-182 and 176-172 in a tune-up for the championship showdown with Vanderbilt.
The Gamecocks have just one more event remaining on the fall portion of their schedule. They will travel to Woodbridge, Va., to compete in Maryland Eastern Shore's Hawk Classic from Nov. 17-19 at Bowl America.
