ORLANDO—Jax State lived up to its preseason No. 1 ranking in its first tournament of the season at AMF Sky Lanes.
 
The Gamecocks posted a 10-2 record over the weekend and claimed the title at Destination Orlando over No. 5 Nebraska.
 
"I'm so proud of our team and I'm so excited to see how the rest of the season shakes out," said coach Shannon O'Keefe. "We had four girls that had never bowled on a team before; we knew they were great shot makers but weren't sure how it would work. They moved forward quickly, they didn't dwell on mistakes, and switched roles when needed."
 
Jax State went 4-1 in their five Baker Games on Friday. After a 1,122-991 loss to No. 3 Youngstown State, they bounced back with four straight wins against UAB, Nebraska, Mount St. Mary's and Alabama A&M.
 
On Saturday, the Gamecocks went 4-1 in their traditional matches with wins over Bryant, Prairie View A&M, Stephen F. Austin, and St. Anslem before a loss to No. 10 Duquesne. In the match against Stephen F. Austin, Dannielle Henderson rolled a perfect game and went on to claim tournament MVP honors.
 
"She's so powerful," said O'Keefe of Henderson. "Once she saw her ball motion and how good it was, it was easy for her to settle in and be confident."
 
In the first best-of-seven Baker Game on Sunday, the Gamecocks claimed the 4-3 win over No. 2 Arkansas State in a 2024 national championship rematch to advance to the final.
 
The Gamecocks won the first two Baker Games in the final against Nebraska by the scores of 232-205 and 237-179 to jump out to a 2-0 lead. The Cornhuskers took the third game 243-234. Jax State claimed the fourth 248-222 thanks to going 3-for-3 in their spare attempts, all which were single-pin spares.
 
The left lane proved difficult in the fifth game, facing a pair of splits in the first two frames and finally picking up a spare in the third. Nebraska jumped out to a big lead early and came away with a 203-191 win. The Cornhuskers posted two open frames to start the sixth game with a pair of first-ball sixes with a split, leaving both frames open. The Gamecocks opened with four straight strikes and finished with eight total and a spare to come away with a 210-158 win to clinch the title.
 
Next up for Jax State will be the Stephen F. Austin Ladyjack Classic at Sheridan Lanes in Kenosha, Wis.