SMYRNA, Tenn. – North Carolina A&T showed why it elevated nine positions in the latest National Tenpin Coaches Association (NTCA) bowling poll to No. 4 in the nation as the Aggies went 4-0 on Day 2 of the Columbia 300 Music City Classic on Saturday at the Smyrna Bowling Center.
The fourth-ranked Aggies (42-7) defeated, No. 17 Tulane, No. 25 Valparaiso, No. 3 Vanderbilt and Spalding on Saturday in traditional play.
A&T, who came to Tennessee looking to win its fifth straight tournament, went from eighth place on Friday to third place on Day 2 with 9,879 total pins. McKendree, the nation's top-ranked team, is in first place with 10,386 total pins. No. 5 Nebraska is in second with 10,104 total pins. Following A&T in the top-5 is No. 6 Louisiana Tech (9,876) and No. 16 Stephen F. Austin (9,763).
The Aggies knocked down the most pins on Saturday with 5,135, two better than McKendree.
Senior Cameron Strombeck led the Aggies with 1,065 total pins over five games to average 213. She finished in fifth place. Freshman Melanie Katen follows her in seventh place with 1,052 total pins for a five-game average of 210.40. Senior Ana Olaya is in 13th place with 1,022 total pins over five games to average 204.40.
N.C. A&T opened with a 1,039-875 win over Tulane. Four Aggies reached 200 pins, with Junior Ericka Quesada leading the way with a 211. Quesada totaled 995 pins on Saturday for a five-game average of 199. Katen posted a 206, followed by a 202 from Olaya and a 201 from sophomore Lauren Tomaszewski.
Valparaiso was next. The Aggies defeated the Crusades 1,039-875.
Tomaszewski led the Aggies with a 215. Tomaszewski was the fourth Aggie to finish in the top-20 as she totaled 1,001 pins to average 200.20 over five games. Olaya had a 214 against the Crusaders, followed by Strombeck with a 208. Quesada and Tomaszewski each had 201.
A&T had a huge win over one of bowling's traditional powers in Vanderbilt, the 2018 NCAA national champions. The Aggies scored a 1,049-909 win over the Commodores. Katen did a marvelous job by bowling a 267. Tomaszewski contributed with a 218, and Strombeck finished with a 214.
Spalding gave the Aggies their final opponent of the day as the Aggies cruised to a 992-749 win. Olaya led the way with a 213 complemented by Strombeck's 208. Tomaszewski and Katen came close to posting a 200, with each scoring a 196.
The Aggies finished the day with a bye scoring 1,057 pins. Strombeck had her best game of the day with a 257. Quesada and Olaya also had their respective best games as Quesada bowled a 225 and Olaya recorded a 222.
The Aggies are averaging 197.6 heading into the final day on Sunday. They will play La Tech in the first round of the championship bracket. The winner advances to face the loser of the McKendree/Nebraska matchup. The loser plays the winner of the SFA/No. 22 Central Missouri contests.
