Pittsburgh, Pa. – The Duquesne University bowling team used a strong finish in match play Sunday to surge to fifth place at the Stallings Invitational in Greensboro, N.C., at Triad Lanes. The Dukes posted three wins over ranked teams on the final day of competition to finish 8-5 (.615) overall on the weekend and improve to 68-30 (.694) during the 2023-24 season.
Opening with Baker play Friday, the Dukes earned an 876-445 triumph over Florida A&M before falling in three consecutive matches to No. 13 Mount St. Mary's, Lincoln Memorial and UAB. Duquesne rallied to close out Baker action with a 907-892 victory over No. 12 Tulane.
The win over the Green Wave bolstered the Dukes in traditional play Saturday, as they opened with a 1,082-722 win over Belmont Abbey before falling to No. 1 Jacksonville State (1,085-922). Consecutive wins over Texas Southern (999-767) and No. 4 North Carolina A&T (1,101-1,037) followed before No. 5 Vanderbilt posted a 1,017-891 decision over Duquesne to wrap up traditional play.
Junior
Ranelle Ulanday highlighted the individual performances for the Dukes at the Stallings Invitational, as she finished fourth to garner All-Tournament Team accolades. Ulanday averaged 219.20 per game and 1,096 total pins, including a 253 in the opener against the Crusaders. She also fired a 245 in the win over the host Aggies as well as a 202 against Vanderbilt and a 201 against Jacksonville State.
Also earning top 20 finishes for the Dukes in a field that included 118 bowlers were grad student
Kiearra Saldi and senior
Shannon Small. Saldi closed with an average game of 203.60 to finish 17th, while Small was two spots back at 19th with an average of 201.20. Saldi rolled a 248 in the win over North Carolina A&T, while Small finished the same match at 223.
In bracket play Sunday, Duquesne opened with a 4-2 win over Tulane followed by a 4-3 victory over No. 6 Nebraska. Securing fifth place came courtesy of a 4-2 win over No. 11 Sam Houston State.
The Dukes owned a 3-1 lead over the Cornhuskers before Nebraska forced a game seven, which Duquesne claimed with a 188-166 win. The Bearkats, meanwhile, opened with two wins in Baker play before the Dukes reeled off four consecutive victories, including 249-190 in game three and 244-182 in game four. Duquesne closed with a 217-199 triumph in game five before a 218-171 win in game six.
The lineup in Baker play opened with Ulanday and also included senior
Brenna Gleim, freshman
Maribeth Baker, Small and Saldi. Sophomore
Emma Siekierski subbed in for Baker in the opener Sunday against the Green Wave to help bolster the Dukes.
Next up for Duquesne is the ISC & ITC Sectionals, which take place Friday, March 8, through Sunday, March 10, in Chicago, Ill., at Stardust Bowl.
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