Ladyjacks Head to Arkansas For 2017 Southland Bowling Championships
3/23/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Bowling
2017 Southland Bowling Championship
Friday, March 24 – Sunday, March 26, 2017
Hijinx Entertainment Center | Jonesboro, Ark.
Tournament Updates: @SFA_Bowling
Live Streaming: InsideBowling.com
Opening Frame
Seventh-ranked Stephen F. Austin begins the postseason defense of its national championship this weekend, heading to Jonesboro, Arkansas, for the 2017 Southland Bowling League Championships.
Tournament Information
The 2017 Southland Bowling Championships will be held at Hijinks Entertainment Center in Jonesboro, Arkansas, the home lanes of Arkansas State. The SBL Championship will feature all eight conference teams and will be a double-elimination tournament, using a best-of-three match format. Match one will be a five-person traditional team match, followed by a baker style match. Should the teams split the two opening matches, the tiebreaker will then be a best-of-seven baker style bracket match. The 2017 SBL Championships will also be live streamed at InsideBowling.com.
Tournament Bracket
The eight Southland Bowling teams competing this weekend were seeded based on their national RPI ranking. Host Arkansas State (.630) earned the top overall seed with Sam Houston State (.621), Vanderbilt (.615) and SFA (.598) filling the upper half of the bracket. The bottom half consists of Monmouth (.574), seeded fifth, followed by Tulane (.555), Valparaiso (.519) and Louisiana Tech (.477). Fourth-seeded SFA will begin its tournament against fifth-seeded Monmouth Friday at 8:00 a.m.
Ladyjacks Against the Field
SFA is familiar with each of the other seven teams competing in this week’s event as the Ladyjacks are a combined 11-13 against its Southland Bowling counterparts in 2016-17, including three wins each against Arkansas State, Monmouth and Vanderbilt.
• Arkansas State: 3-3
• Louisiana Tech: 1-0
• Monmouth: 3-1
• Sam Houston State: 0-4
• Tulane: 0-3
• Valparaiso: 1-0
• Vanderbilt: 3-2
Ladyjack Lineup
SFA will have its usual contingent ready to compete this weekend in Arkansas, led by junior Stephanie Schwartz’s 211.02 average in 48 individual matches this season, 32 of which were games of 200 or better. Senior Paige Kraushaar is also averaging over 200 per game this season, posting a 201.62 average in 37 games, followed by a 197.32 average from sophomore Dakotah Hazlewood. Juniors Morgan Reising (194.55) and Kelsi Anderson (190.04) are also averaging over 190 for the Ladyjacks in 2016-17.
SFA at the Southland Bowling Championship
This weekend’s event marks the third Southland Bowling League Championship as the league is in its third season of existence. In the inaugural event in 2015, the Ladyjacks posted a fifth-place finish in Houston, going 1-2 in the double elimination tournament, followed by a fourth-place showing in Kenner, Louisiana in 2016, going 2-2 overall.
Last Time Out
SFA wrapped up the 2016-17 regular season on a positive note, finishing fourth among the 35-team field at the Vanderbilt Columbia 300 Music City Classic in Smyrna, Tennessee. Competing against the deepest and most talented field of the year (19 of the nation’s top-20 teams were in attendance), the Ladyjacks posted a 9-4 overall record en route to the fourth-place showing, its highest finish at the annual event. Junior Morgan Reising and senior Paige Kraushaar led the way for the Ladyjacks individually, finishing 11th and 12th respectively with a 204.8 and 204.2 average.
The Streaks Continue
With its fourth-place finish in Tennessee, Stephen F. Austin extended its streak of top-10 team tournament finishes to 41-straight tournaments, dating back to the 2012-13 season. The Ladyjacks also upped their season record to 75-42, marking the fourth-straight year SFA has reached 75victories on the year, as head coach Amber Lemke’s squad has now finished in the top-five in seven of its nine events in 2016-17.
Looking Ahead
Following this weekend’s tournament in Arkansas, SFA will then sit back and wait to see its fate regarding the 2017 NCAA National Championships. The Ladyjacks will find out officially during the NCAA Bowling Selection Show at 3 p.m. CT on Wednesday, March 29th, and should SFA be one of the eight teams whose name is read, the Ladyjacks will compete in their third-straight NCAA National Championship, being held April 13-15 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
-SFA-
