Friday, March 23
Dallas, Texas
Stephen F. Austin
vs
Southland Bowling League Championship
Ladyjack Bowling Heads to Dallas as No. 4 Seed for 2018 Southland Bowling League Championship
3/22/2018 6:37:00 PM | Women's Bowling
SFA to take on fifth-seeded and ninth-ranked Tulane in opening match of 2018 Southland Bowling League Championship
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – After nine regular-season events, the Stephen F. Austin women's bowling team will compete in nation's most challenging conference tournament this weekend at the 2018 Southland Bowling League Championship, held Friday-Sunday, March 23-25 at USA Bowl in Dallas, Texas. The Ladyjacks have earned the No. 4 seed for the championship tournament based on NCAA RPI, marking the third consecutive year SFA has been seeded fourth for the three-day, double-elimination event.
Featured matches of the Southland Bowling League Championship will be streamed live by InsideBowling, while SFA Bowling's Facebook page will stream the Ladyjacks' remaining matches at the tournament.
Ranked sixth nationally, SFA is one of seven Southland Bowling League teams ranked in the top 25 according to the latest National Tenpin Coaches Association (NTCA) poll. Third-ranked Arkansas is the top seed at this weekend's tournament, followed by fourth-ranked and No. 2 seed Vanderbilt. Fifth-ranked Sam Houston State is the third seed, while ninth-ranked Tulane is seeded fifth and No. 22 Valparaiso sixth. Rounding out the event field is 20th-ranked Louisiana Tech as the No. 7 seed and eighth-seeded Monmouth.
Competition begins at 8:30 a.m. both Friday, March 23 and Saturday, March 24 with the championship match set for 9 a.m. Sunday, March 25. Second-round matches will take place at 1:30 p.m. Friday, March 23 and fourth-round matches are scheduled for Saturday, March 24 at 1:30 p.m. The consolation final will be held Saturday, March 24 at 5:30 p.m. with the winner advancing to Sunday's championship match.
Each match will be played in the best-of-three format with each matchup consisting of one traditional team match, one Baker total pinfall match and, if necessary, a third best 4-of-7 Baker match.
The Ladyjacks will take on No. 5 seed Tulane Friday morning in their opening match of the league's tournament on lanes 21-22. Should SFA win its first-round match, the Ladyjacks will battle the winner of top-seeded Arkansas State and No. 8 seed Monmouth Friday afternoon.
SFA has been seeded fourth in each of the last three Southland Bowling League championships after earning the No. 2 seed at the inaugural league tournament. The Ladyjacks advanced to the consolation bracket final in 2017 before bowing out to eventual league champion Vanderbilt. In 2016, SFA won its first-round bout with third-seeded Monmouth before falling to top-seeded Arkansas State in the second round and being ousted by No. 2 seed Vanderbilt in the consolation bracket semifinals. At the 2015 Southland Bowling League Championship the Ladyjacks went 1-2, dropping their opening-round match to seventh-seeded Monmouth, defeating No. 6 seed Tulane and being eliminated by fourth-seeded Sam Houston State.
In nine regular-season tournaments in 2017-18 SFA has posted a cumulative match record of 69-47 (.595) and has garnered five top-five finishes. The Ladyjacks are striving to reach the NCAA championship for the fourth-straight year after claiming the NCAA title in 2016 and taking home runner-up honors in 2015.
For the first time in NCAA bowling history, automatic qualification to the NCAA tournament will be given to the winning team from qualified conferences' championships, including the Southland Bowling League. Last season marked the third consecutive year that the Southland made up half of the then-eight-team NCAA field.
The NCAA Women's Bowling Committee will select a field of 10 teams - six automatic qualifying teams and four at-large teams. Teams will be ranked, based on available selection criteria, with the top six being placed in the championship bracket. The remaining four teams will play in opening round matches to determine the final two teams that will compete in the championship.
Up Next…
Following the 2018 Southland Bowling League Championship, the Ladyjacks will have to wait until Wednesday, March 28 at 3 p.m. CT to hear of their postseason fate with the 2018 NCAA Women's Bowling Selection Show streamed on NCAA.com.
Stay tuned to SFAJacks.com, as well as SFA's social media platforms, for complete coverage of Ladyjack bowling throughout this winter and spring.
-SFA-
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