Cincinnati, OH - UC's women's bowling team started this weekend off strong, finishing the day in second place at the MSC Cincinnati Classic.  The Patriots recorded 5,020 pins over the first five team games, while UC has five bowlers that rank in the top 30 of the individual standings Saturday afternoon.  

Cumberlands took the lead early by tallying 2,092 pins over the two games to find themselves atop of the team leaderboard. After tallying 967 pins in the third game, the Pats fell to second place, trailing SCAD by 64 pins. UC hit 1,961 in the final two games to solidify second place and be the highest ranked conference team going into day two. On the day, UC averaged 1,004 pins per team game.

The Patriots success is coming from placing five bowlers within the top-30 of the individual standings.  Kiara Abanto is leading the way sitting in fourth-place midway through the tournament. The senior hit 1,097 pins over five games, carding at least a 220 in four of them. The Rock Hill, SC native notched a 266, which was her best score of the day, in the first game.  

Paige Frantz is seeking her fourth top-ten finish of the season as she sits in eighth place.  The freshman recorded 1,046 pins on the day, averaging 209.2 pins per game.  Frantz clipped the 200 pin plateau in four of the five games, including a tournament-best 216 in game two.

Haleigh Lawwell hit 224 pins in game one to elevate her to top of the leaderboard.  The junior averaged 196 pins per game, to finish the day with 980 pins to be in 13th place.  

Erika Taylor had a strong showing on day one after she knocked down 959 pins to finish the day in 22nd place. The senior averaged 191.8 pins per game and is looking for her second the top 25 finish of the season.

Allysen Coryell hit 220 and 222 pins in the second and third game to elevate her to 28th place in the individual standings. The senior dropped over 170 pins in four of five games, averaging 187.6 per game.

This tournament is two days and consists of nine team games split between Saturday and Sunday, involving 16 teams: and the Patriots are one of ten Mid-South Conference teams competing.  Overall, SCAD-Savannah is atop the team leaderboard with 5,141 pins, while Pikeville and UT-Southern round out the top four with 4,928 and 4,896 pins, respectively. 

The Pats will be back in the morning in search of their second title of the season.

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