UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL MISSOURI
University of Central Missouri head coach Ron Holmes on his team’s performance: “I think we had a wonderful learning experience, but I just don’t know if our younger players learned all of the things that we hoped they would. We came and gave an awful lot of effort with great energy, but we just couldn’t make the shots that we needed to consistently. That is the key to playing in this format and in this championship itself.”
Holmes on whether his team did not play up to its expectations: “I would certainly say that is an accurate statement. We traditionally play with a little more energy, but part of that is based off of how well you’re playing. In the past, we’ve always seemed to fit the pieces together, but we just couldn’t seem to do that throughout our entire lineup this week.“
Junior Theresa Christopher on whether her team’s struggles yesterday carried over into today: “I don’t think so, because we had nothing to lose after yesterday. I don’t feel like yesterday carried over into today at all. I just think we fell behind by a lot of pins in certain games, and we just could not rebound. We had a fresh outlook coming into today.“
Christopher on the first game in the match against NJCU ending in a tie: “It is kind of rare, especially in the first game of a baker match. It’s kind of like starting all over again. Both teams are even, but it’s a strange feeling because you didn’t lose, but you also didn’t win. I don’t think we lulled upon it. It was odd, but it happened.”
Senior Amanda Falk on the team’s confidence level entering this year’s tournament after a strong run last year: “We probably had even more confidence than last year. Even though we are a younger team this year, talent-wise, we’re just as good, if not better. With the closeness of this group, we thought that we were capable of winning the whole thing.”
Falk on her four-year playing career at Central-Missouri: “I’ve grown every year, and each season has been totally different. Your freshman year is a new experience, and then each year you build off of that first year. This year was just great all around.”
Holmes on which team he predicts will claim the national championship: “After watching some of the matches today and seeing some of the different things that occurred, I am not sure how this is going to play out. This is a very interesting start to the day. The teams that are still alive don’t surprise me because of the way they played yesterday, but the win-loss records and who is remaining in each bracket is kind of surprising. I think it will be a great championship and it wouldn’t surprise me if any of the six remaining teams wins the whole thing.”
Falk on which team she feels will claim the national championship: “I just think that any of the six teams can win this thing. The teams in the losers bracket are going to be fired up and want to prove themselves like has happened in the past. The teams in the winners bracket are going to want to say on that side and get to that title match tomorrow night.”
Holmes on his team‘s championship experience: “I think it has been a wonderfully run championship, and being in New Jersey for the first time, the only thing that is different is the outside environment. New Jersey has been wonderful and we couldn‘t have asked for a better location and a better host than NJCU. The committee has done a great job and the city of Brunswick has certainly embraced us. We have had a real, real good time here.”
Holmes on what he was referring to as being different in New Jersey: “Just the difference in driving styles. It’s been hard getting used to no left-hand turns and having to use jug-handles. But everyone and everything associated with this championship has been great.”
Christopher on her championship experience and the opportunity to earn a trip back to the national tournament next season: “I am going to remember this feeling and make sure that we work hard so that this team has an opportunity to participate in this tournament again next year.”
Falk on her relationship with her teammates during her four-year playing career: “They are what drove me the most over the past four years. I get excited with every ball they throw. There is a lot of talent coming back next year, and I will be their biggest supporter. I’m a Jenny for life.”
DELAWARE STATE UNIVERSITY
Delaware State University head coach Ricki Williams-Ellison on her feelings after being eliminated: “I couldn’t be disappointed in this team no matter what happened today. This team has worked day in and day out for everything that they have earned this season. They put it all out there, and that’s all you can ask as a coach. They did every possible thing I asked them to do all season.“
Williams-Ellison on the turning point in the match against Vanderbilt when the teams were tied at two games apiece: “There wasn’t any one specific moment in that match that turned things around and gave either team an upper hand. It simply came down to executing shots and making spares, and it came down to 10 frames. It was back and forth the entire game. Each team wanted it, and it was a pure fight until the very end.“
Junior Angela Reynolds on the emotion she displayed throughout the tournament: “I kind of put my heart out there and try to get our team fired up to start something. It’s joy and effort, and we feed off each other.“
Reynolds on Delaware State seniors Michelle Turnbell, Kayln Washburn, and Samantha Scionti: “I love our seniors. We have three of them, and it’s hard to see them go. Kayln and I are especially close because we bowl the set-up and anchor positions. Losing all three of them is going to be a tough transition for this team:
Senior Kayln Washburn on the future of the Delaware State program: “The future holds great things for this team. There is a lot of talent on this team, and there are a lot of committed players that are going to keep the success that we’ve experienced going for a while. We also have a great coach who is going to recruit great players.”
Senior Michelle Turnbell on playing for 22-year-old head coach Ricki Williams-Ellison: “We always have fun. Keep in mind that I’m 23-years-old myself.”
Turnbell on whether she was shocked that Williams-Ellison was hired as a head coach at such a young age: “Actually, I wasn’t. Although she’s fun, she has a tremendous knowledge about the game that goes far beyond her years. She teaches us things on a day-to-day basis. She has done things in this game that are impressive and she has knowledge about the game that we don’t have. We learn from her everyday.”
Turnbell on what the general public doesn‘t understand about the sport of collegiate bowling: “They don’t understand a lot of things about this game. They don’t think that this is a sport that requires a lot of mental, physical, and emotional ability. They don’t understand the teamwork that is involved in competing on this level. They also don’t understand that the defense in this game is the condition of the lanes and the oil patterns that we have to adjust to. In general, I think they underestimate the skill level needed to compete on this level.”
Williams-Ellison on her team‘s championship experience: “Everyone associated with this championship has done a tremendous job. New Jersey City University has put on a show that the next couple of hosts are going to have a hard time living up to. Things ran very smoothly, and I loved the little touches like the national anthem each day. The hotel was outstanding and they even went the extra mile in terms of little things like directions, the banquet, and the guest speakers. They really presented this championship in a way that was innovative to the sport of bowling, and they really set the tone in terms of what we need to do to keep this championship as not only great for the participants, but great for the spectators as well.”
Reynolds on whether she is ready to lead her team next year as a senior: “I am prepared. We have a lot of returning talent, and you can be assured that we will be back with a strong team next year.”
