MILLSBORO, DE (www.NJCUGothicKnights.com) | Junior JENNIFER DAUNNO (Carteret, NJ/Carteret) averaged a 220.0, including a high game of 275, and the nationally No. 8 ranked New Jersey City University women's bowling team extended its winning streak to 14 consecutive matches, highlighted by a victory over #4 ranked Vanderbilt University, before the Gothic Knights finished 4-1 overall on day two of the three-day Eastern Shore Hawk Classic, hosted by the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. The Knights are in fifth place overall among 20 schools in total pinfall.
NJCU, which went 5-0 in competition on November 14 and 19, won the first four matches of the day to extend the streak to 14—just one shy of the program record of 15 consecutive wins from December 1 thru December 28, 2007. The 14-game streak was perhaps even more impressive than the 2007-08 season, as it included wins over the #1, #4 and #5 ranked teams in the country in the last week—Fairleigh Dickinson University, Vanderbilt and University of Central Missouri.
With the 4-1 mark, NJCU, despite only returning three starters from last season's national semifinalist team, improved to 23-9 on the year—a .719 winning percentage. On one of the youngest teams NJCU has ever fielded in its illustrious history—a history that has included four berths in the NCAA Final Four in seven years—the Knights have their best record after 32 matches since opening the 2006-07 campaign at 26-6.
On a day where NJCU bowled five traditional team games, NJCU posted a 968-951 win over #4 Vanderbilt before routing Texas Southern University by 200 pins, 969-769. In the third match, NJCU earned its first-ever win against #11 ranked Valparaiso University, 983-946 before knocking off fellow Division III rival and #14 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, 1023-970.
NJCU's winning streak came to an end when it dropped a 939-911 decision to unranked upstart Stephen F. Austin University in the first-ever meeting between the clubs.
In the team standings determined by pinfall, host and #2 ranked Maryland Eastern Shore has a commanding 512-pin lead over the field with 9,417 total wood and a 8-2 record. Central Missouri is second (8,905, 6-4), No. 7 Delaware State University is third (8,877, 5-5) and upstart first-year program Sam Houston State University is fourth (8,781, 8-2).
NJCU is fifth with 8,716 pins—11 ahead of sixth place and #10 ranked Sacred Heart University (8,705, 5-5). No. 1 ranked Fairleigh Dickinson University is seventh (8,652, 7-3). In a competitive field, Vanderbilt is 10th (8,515, 4-6). Other than NJCU, the only team in the field with a 9-1 record after 10 matches is Kutztown University, the 12th place team.
FRANK PARISI, the five-time National Coach of the Year, praised his club for its fourth consecutive outstanding outing.
“I'm very pleased with what this team is doing. To be 9-1 against tough competition, we're bowling well together and staying together as a team and hopefully we'll continue tomorrow in the Baker bracket play.”
Individually, Daunno leads the way with her 220.0 average and pinfall of exactly 1100, with four 200 games. Her 275 against Whitewater is a team season-high and four shy of her career best of 279 set on April 9, 2009 in the NCAA Championship. She had a five-game line of 236-210-201-275-178.
Freshman ASHLEY LANE (Brick, NJ/Brick Township) had a three-game average of 202.67 and 608 total pinfall with 239 high game (239-203-166). Sophomore lefty KELLY DAUNNO (Carteret, NJ/Carteret) bowled all five games and posted a 197.00 average and 985 total wood (199-203-179-191-213). Senior NICOLE DREJERWSKI (Levittown, PA/Conwell-Egan Catholic), the reigning NCAA Division III National Player of the Year, had a five-game pinfall of 937 (187.40) with a line of 179-170-215-194-179.
Also for NJCU, freshman ASHLEY JOHNSON (North Arlington, NJ/North Arlington) had a 550 pinfall in three games (185-197-168, 183.33). Freshman NICOLE BAGINSKY (South River, NJ/Cardinal McCarrick) tossed a 188 in her lone game against Vanderbilt. Junior AMY BREHM (East Brunswick, NJ/East Brunswick) tossed two games and rookie CATHERINE ROTOLO (Edison, NJ/Edison) threw one.
In the opening 968-951 win against Vanderbilt, JENNIFER DAUNNO's 236 was the difference and KELLY DAUNNO aided her older sister with a 199. NJCU fell behind early, leaving opens on four of its first five shots, but bowled consistently from there, and notched 10 doubles in the match. Lane finished the game thrown by Baginsky as the rookies teamed for the 188. It was NJCU's first win over the Commodores since January 30, 2010.
In its second match, NJCU extended its winning streak to 12 with the 969-769 rout of Texas Southern as Lane fired a 239, JENNIFER DAUNNO and KELLY DAUNNO added a 210 and 203, respectively.
Valparaiso, which proved to be anything but a typical first-year program in 2009-10 when it defeated NJCU in all three meetings, bowled well in its first matchup with the Gothic Knights this season. But Drejerwski notched a 215, Lane added a 203 and JENNIFER DAUNNO finished with a 201 as NJCU knocked off the Crusaders, 983-946. Johnson tossed a 185, converting all nine spare opportunities.
In the fourth match, NJCU met the only other Division III school other than itself that is ranked in the Top 15 in the country among Division I, II and III programs, and for the 10th consecutive match since the 2007-08 season, the Gothic Knights prevailed over the Warhawks.
In a 1023-970 decision that extended the NJCU winning streak to 14, the story was JENNIFER DAUNNO and her 275. She opened with five consecutive strikes before an eight count and spare in the sixth frame. She followed with five strikes on the back frames before a seven count on the 10th frame fill ball.
“I had a really good shot and I just kept focusing on my mark,” Daunno said about her best score since late in her freshman season. “The lanes were tough today, but we really stuck together and just bowled frame by frame, not worrying about the other team and what they were doing. We were just focused on us and we did really well. But, we can still do better.”
In the win over Whitewater, Johnson converted all seven of her spare attempts—giving her 16 straight conversions in two matches—and finished with a 197. Drejerwski contributed a 194 and KELLY DAUNNO had a 191.
In the final match, NJCU met Stephen F. Austin, a second-year member of the Division I Southland Conference in Nacogdoches, TX (East Texas), and in the first-ever meeting with the Lumberjacks, NJCU's winning streak was snapped by 28 pins, 939-911. KELLY DAUNNO had NJCU's top score at 213.
Despite its lowest score of the day, NJCU only left six opens in the match and three came on splits. The Knights converted 32 of 33 makeable spares but according to Parisi, NJCU was unable to double in the match. However, SFA was able to double as Brianne Buckhert led the Lumberjacks with a 244 and Nicole Parkhurst added a 221.
On day three of the tournament, NJCU will meet #10 Sacred Heart and two opponents to be determined in three best 4-of-7 Baker playoff series. If NJCU wins all three matches, it will finish in third place in the team standings.
—www.njcugothicknights.com—
|
PLAYER
|
TM 1
|
TM 2
|
TM 3
|
TM 4
|
TM 5
|
PINFALL
|
GAMES
|
AVG.
|
GMS 200+
|
GMS 225+
|
GMS 250+
|
|
|
188
|
|
|
|
|
188
|
1
|
188.00
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
166
|
147
|
|
|
|
313
|
2
|
156.50
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
236
|
210
|
201
|
275
|
178
|
1100
|
5
|
220.00
|
4
|
2
|
1
|
|
|
199
|
203
|
179
|
191
|
213
|
985
|
5
|
197.00
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
179
|
170
|
215
|
194
|
179
|
937
|
5
|
187.40
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
0
|
0
|
DNP
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
|
* for AB
|
185
|
197
|
168
|
550
|
3
|
183.33
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
0
|
0
|
DNP
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
* for NB
|
239
|
203
|
166
|
|
608
|
3
|
202.67
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
173
|
173
|
1
|
173.00
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
TEAM TOTAL
|
968
|
969
|
983
|
1023
|
911
|
4854
|
25
|
194.16
|
9
|
3
|
1
|
|
PER GAME AVG.
|
193.6
|
193.8
|
196.6
|
204.6
|
182.2
|
970.8
|
5
|
194.16
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
OPPONENT
|
Vandy
|
Texas So.
|
Valpo
|
UWW
|
Stephen
|
4854
|
5
|
970.8
|
|
OPP. PINFALL
|
951
|
769
|
946
|
970
|
939
|
4575
|
5
|
915
|
|
MARGIN
|
17
|
200
|
37
|
53
|
-28
|
279
|
|
|
|
WIN/LOSS
|
W
|
W
|
W
|
W
|
L
|
4-1
|
|
|
