SMYRNA, TENN.- Monmouth University's women's bowling squad closed out the regular season at the prestigious Columbia 300 Music City Classic over the weekend, posting a 7-8 record.
The Hawks, who came into the weekend ranked 17th in the country, posted baker format wins over No. 19 Tulane, No. 25 Jackson State and No. 10 Wisconsin Whitewater on Friday. The Hawks posted a 3-3 record on the opening day of competition.
On the second day, Monmouth fell to LIU-Brooklyn before tallying back to back wins over Adelphi and Felician. The Hawks dropped the final three games of the day, including close matches to No. 9 Fairleigh Dickinson and Florida A&M. Heading into the final day of action with a 5-7 record, the Hawks were set to face Valparaiso in the first match of Sunday's Championship round.
In Sunday's championship bracket consisting of best of seven format games, Monmouth dispatched Valparaiso 4-2, then tallied a 4-1 win over Saint Francis Brooklyn. The Hawks wrapped up the event with a 4-0 loss to Bethune-Cookman to finish in 20th place.
“It wasn't our best performance, but the team chemistry was there on the third day,” said Monmouth head coach Karen Grygiel. “We finished strong in the format we will be competing in for our conference championships, so confident we can end the season successfully next weekend in New Orleans.”
Individually, junior Kaitlyn Reth (Baltimore, MD/Overlea/Baltimore CC) paced the Hawks with a 184.33 average. Sophomore Julie Bianco (Holtwood, PA/Penn Manor) was right behind her teammate with a 183.67 average. Junior Jessica Nannemann (Waterford, WI/Waterford Union) tallied a team-high 227 in Monmouth's fourth traditional match of the event.
Monmouth will compete for the Southland Conference Bowling League Championship beginning on Saturday, March 26th.
