HARAHAN, La. – In its inaugural season, the Jacksonville State bowling team is one win away from the school's first Conference USA Championship.
 
After falling behind No. 2 Arkansas State in the winner's bracket final on Saturday at Colonial Lanes, the top-ranked Gamecocks (96-23) took control early in Baker play to even the match. They then swept the Wolves in match play to take a 2-1 win and advance to Sunday's title match.
 
With the win, Jax State sits in the title match of the double-elimination tournament without a blemish on its record and will face the winner of Sunday's 9 a.m. match between Arkansas State and No. 3 Youngstown State. The title match will begin one hour after the first match concludes and will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
 
Head coach Shannon O'Keefe talked about her team's resilience on Friday after a pair of wins got them to the position they were in on Saturday. She said the same applied against ASU, especially after falling behind early in the match.
 
"We were resilient, we were patient," O'Keefe said. "It is a long match that can go hours if it goes the distance. So, it was important for us to trust in our training and ability to execute, but not forget to have fun and do it together."
 
A win ove Sunday would represent a milestone, not only for the first-year bowling program, but for Jax State's athletics department. The Gamecocks are seeking the first conference title since joining CUSA prior to this season, and the team itself is looking to mark off the first check-mark on a three-item list – a CUSA title, an NCAA title and an ITC title.
 
"We tell them all of the time that all you can do is put yourself in position to win," O'Keefe said." It doesn't mean that you're going to, but we have been saying all year that we wat to go after three, and this is the first  step of the three."
 
The CUSA title won't come easy, even in the position that Jax State has put itself in for Sunday. When Saturday began, four teams were still standing in the nine-team CUSA Championship – Jax State, Arkansas State, Youngstown State and Louisiana Tech – the same four teams that make up the top four teams in the national rankings.
 
"We have been telling them the whole time that, because we are the strongest conference in the country, this could be and more than likely will be harder than our regional in two weeks," O'Keefe said. "This is perfect preparation to get us ready for regionals and then hopefully to win regionals and move on to the Final Four. I would not be surprised if we see all four teams in the Final Four come from this conference."
 
On Saturday, the Gamecocks put its resilience to use after the Wolves took the Traditional portion of the match by a total pinfall of 1,095-999. Graduate senior Kayla Smith led her team with a 247, while they also got a 211 from graduate senior Maranda Pattison, a 203 from graduate senior Crystal Elliott, a 180 from senior Isabel Allen and a 158 from graduate senior Rebecca Hagerman.
 
O'Keefe made a few lineup adjustments before the start of Baker play and the Gamecocks took off, bowling a 244 in the first game behind the lineup of freshman Dannielle Henderson, Pattison, Smith, Hagerman and Elliott to grab a 39-pin lead.
 
After a 189 in the second game added five more pins to the lead, another minor switch in game three paid off even more. With Hagerman moving to the front ahead of Henderson, Pattison, Smith and Elliott, Jax State bowled a 277 and took control of the Baker match.
 
A 203 and 156 in the final two games capped the 1,069-974 win and pushed the match to a winner-take-all, best-of-seven Baker match play.
 
The Gamecocks rolled through the Wolves to seal the match, winning the first game, 200-170, the second 227-190 and the third 245-201 before closing it out with a 212-191 score in game four.
 
O'Keefe praised her entire team after winning the match, crediting the depth of her roster and the work they have put into this point of the season. That praise didn't stop at those throwing the ball down the lanes, but was for the involvement of every single one of the tam's nine-person roster.
 
"We have incredible talent withing our program," O'Keefe said. "We have nine strong players, where we really could interchange anybody at any moment. That is a blessing and can be a curse at times. When you're this strong you will always have some people that could absolutely be bowling sitting there watching. But that is where we try to teach and preach to them that we are nine faces throwing every shot. Just because you are not physically throwing a bowling ball, doesn't mean you are not adding to what we're doing.
 
For example, Anna (Warkel) arguably is the MVP of the tournament so far, just because of what she is giving to her teammates as they turn around off the approach. It is so beyond important and something that I think people don't talk about enough."