SFA Opens 2014-15 Season in New Orleans
10/17/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Bowling
2014 All State Sugar Bowl Collegiate Bowling Invitational
Friday, October 17 - Sunday, October 19
New Orleans, La. • Hosted by Tulane University
Opening Frame
Stephen F. Austin opens the 2014-15 season in the Big Easy, competing in the 2014 All State Sugar Bowl Collegiate Bowling Invitational. The Ladyjacks are the defending tournament champions, capturing the team title at the event in 2013 for the program's first-ever title.
Tournament Information
The 2014 All State Sugar Bowl Collegiate Bowling Invitational gets underway at 9 a.m. Friday morning as the teams will compete in five baker-style matches. Saturday, competition begins at 9 a.m. with five traditional games, leading up to Sunday's finale which features three best-of-seven bracket-play baker games.
Participating Teams
The Ladyjacks are one of 13 teams competing in the season-opening event and are one of four ranked teams that will make their season debut in New Orleans. Third-ranked Sam Houston State, last season's national champions, is the highest ranked team among the field, followed by fourth-ranked Vanderbilt, the ninth-ranked Ladyjacks and 18th-ranked Alabama State. Hosted by Tulane, the remainder of the field is comprised of Alabama A&M, Bethune-Cookman, Florida A&M, Jackson State, Louisiana Tech, Southern, Texas Southern and UAB.
SFA Travel Squad
Stephen F. Austin will bowl its full roster this weekend as the Ladyjacks will rely on its young but talented roster for the duration of the season. SFA has just one senior (Chelsea King) and one junior (Danielle Lynn), with the remainder of the roster comprised of two sophomores (Kiara Grant and Paige Kraushaar) and four freshmen (Kelsi Anderson, Shana Geerdes, Morgan Reising and Stephanie Schwartz).
Ladyjacks Seeking Repeat
The last time SFA bowled in New Orleans, it proved to be an historic event for the Ladyjack bowling program as SFA captured the first team title in the program's five-year history. Sitting second heading into Sunday's bracket play, the Ladyjacks fell to rival Sam Houston 4-2 in the opening match, but responded with a 4-1 victory over Alabama State, setting up the rematch with the Bearkats. SHSU took the opening game before the two teams tied in game two, but then the Ladyjacks took control, winning four of the next five, including a convincing 227-149 score in the clinching game.
SFA Ranked Ninth in Preseason Poll
SFA begins the 2014-15 season right where it left off in 2013-14 as the Ladyjacks are ranked ninth in the preseason NTCA Coaches Poll. SFA garnered 315 points, sitting 45 points back of eighth-place Wisconsin-Whitewater and 43 points better than 10th-place St. Francis (Pa.). Nebraska is the preseason number one, receiving 11 first-place votes, with Arkansas State, Sam Houston State, Vanderbilt and Maryland-Eastern Shore comprising the top-five. Central Missouri is sixth, followed by Fairleigh Dickinson, Wisconsin-Whitewater, SFA and St. Francis to round out the top-10.
Looking Ahead
SFA heads east for its next tournament, traveling to North Brunswick, N.J. for the Fairleigh Dickinson Jamboree Oct. 31 - Nov. 2. It marks the second-straight tournament the Ladyjacks will be looking to repeat as champions as SFA captured the 2013 FDU Jamboree as well.
-SFA-
