Women's Bowling | 3/1/2025 8:43:00 PM
GREENSBORO – North Carolina A&T measured itself against two of the nation's best NCAA collegiate bowling programs during the second day of the Aggies' Vernell Stallings Invitational held at AMF All-Star Lanes.
A&T, the sixth-ranked team in the National Tenpin Coaches Association (NTCA) poll faced off against the second-ranked and third-ranked teams in the same poll – Vanderbilt and Jacksonville State.
It is safe to say that the Aggies acquitted themselves well in both matchups despite falling short in both. That could lead to the Aggies having confidence against the two national powers during the postseason.
"One thing we did great today was remain level-headed and maintain our patience," said senior Chloe Newberry. "We are throwing good shots and just need to keep that up for tomorrow. Today was really good, in my opinion. We executed well but couldn't get the hits we needed."
The 12 teams assembled at AMF All-Star lanes played in traditional format on Saturday. The Aggies had a total pinfall of 4,659, going 3-2 on the day. A&T is 5-5 for the tournament, with a two-day pinfall of 9,271 to average 185.4. A&T will go into Sunday's best-of-seven Baker format bracket play as the No. 4 seed and will face the Jax State Gamecocks at 8:30 a.m.
The Gamecocks continue to lead the tournament at 9-0 with a total pinfall of 10,212. The Vanderbilt Commodores are second at 8-1 with a total pinfall of 9,857.
A&T had three individuals finish in the top 10 on Saturday led by senior Grace Stull's 1,015 total pinfall and 203.0 average, which placed her in seventh. Senior Maya Avilez and Newberry placed ninth with a 982 total pinfall and 196.40 average.
Avilez's 200 total pinfall against Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) rival University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) propelled the Aggies to an 875-856 win over the 18th-ranked Hawks. Then came the two titanically matchups with Jax State and Vandy.
Despite Newberry's 225 total pinfall, the Gamecocks defeated the Aggies by a razor-thin 997-986. Annalise O'Bryant led three Gamecocks with a better than 200 pinfall. A&T also had two others go over 200, with Stull posting a 218 and Avilez scoring a 212. It took a tiebreaker to decide A&T versus Vandy.
Both teams finished with pinfalls of 979, with the Commodores winning the tiebreaker 120-87. Victoria Varano led Vandy with a 229 total pinfall. Grace and graduate Melanie Katen led the Aggies by recording a 210 total pinfall.
"I loved our resilience and grit," said Stull. "I feel confident that we learned enough to make improvements to set ourselves up to win tomorrow."
The Aggies had another close call against a MEAC rival as they returned to their winning ways with a 958-933 win over the Howard Bison. Stull's 204 led the way for A&T, followed by Newberry, posting a 205 total pinfall. A&T's final matchup of the day did not end in a close call.
A&T posted its highest total pinfall by defeating Southern 1,029-840 behind a strong showing from Katen, who knocked down 238 total pins. Stull posted a 203, and Avilez closed with a 201 total pinfall.
