Pittsburgh, Pa. – The Duquesne University bowling team wrapped up its 2024-25 regular season Sunday, finishing fourth at the Stallings Invitational, hosted by North Carolina A&T, in Greensboro, N.C., at AMF All Star Lanes. The Dukes finished with a record of 7-5 (.583) during the competition and improved to 56-45 (.554) overall during the year.
 
BAKER PLAY
The event began Friday with Baker action, with Duquesne finishing 2-2. The Dukes opened with losses to Southern, 952-932, and No. 3 Jacksonville State, 1,047-951, before rebounding after a bye to earn wins over No. 2 Vanderbilt and the host Aggies, which are ranked sixth in NCAA Division I. Duquesne knocked off the Commodores, 966-939, before defeating North Carolina A&T by a total of eight pins, 942-933. The lineup for the Dukes remained consistent throughout play and featured senior Ranelle Ulanday, sophomore Ivanna Fraticelli, sophomore Maribeth Baker, junior Emma Siekierski and fifth-year Shannon Small.
 
INSIDE THE BAKERY
Duquesne came out firing in its first two games of the Stallings Invitational, rolling a 226 and a 235 against the Jaguars, before Southern rallied with three straight victories to earn the 20-pin victory. Against the Commodores, the Dukes opened a 53-pin advantage after a 201-148 win in game one and also built on its lead in game three with a 217-169 triumph en route to the win. Duquesne also got off to a fast start in its win over the Aggies, grabbing a 58-pin cushion after game one thanks to a 215-157 victory.
 
ON A ROLL
The Dukes carried their success in the final two game of Baker play Friday into traditional action Saturday, posting a 5-0 record. Opening with an 882-754 victory over Howard, Duquesne followed with a pair of wins against ranked foes. A 995-826 win over No. 18 UMES preceded a 1,163-966 triumph over No. 16 Mount St. Mary's, and Duquesne closed out action Saturday with an 842-814 victory over Belmont Abbey before a draw against Lewis, with each team knocking down 974 pins. In the Baker roll-off, the Dukes owned a 104-81 edge to secure the victory.
 
HIGH FIVE
Small put a cap on as consistent a regular season put forth in program history by finishing fourth individually for the Dukes. A four-time Northeast Conference (NEC) Bowler of the Week, Small finished in the top six in seven of the eight tournaments for Duquesne during the 2024-25 season. She knocked down a total of 1,254 pins at the Stallings Invitational in six games, an average score of 209, after posting a 212 Sunday as the Dukes closed traditional play with a 928-875 setback to Alabama A&M. Small's best game of traditional play came in the triumph over the Mount with a 269, the best game of her NCAA Division I career on the Bluff. The tally also ranks eighth all-time in program history.
 
CHAMPIONSHIP BRACKET
Duquesne finished fourth at the Stallings Invitational Sunday after moving on to bracket play, dropping a 4-2 decision to Vanderbilt before falling to the host Aggies, 4.5-3.5, for third place. The Commodores ended up claiming the team crown at the Stallings Invitational, posting a 4-1 win over Jacksonville State for the title. Lewis finished fifth, followed by Mount St. Mary's, Belmont Abbey, UMES, Alabama A&M and Howard rounding out the top 10.
 
THE LINEUP
Siekierski missed out on a top 10 finish individually Sunday by just a pair of pins, collecting 1,151 over six games of traditional play for an average score of 191.83. She finished 11th, with her best game coming in the win over Lewis with a 211. Siekierski also rolled a 206 in the victory over UMES and a 202 in the triumph over the Mount. Ulanday averaged 190 in six games of traditional action, including a 267 in the win over Mount St. Mary's. The mark is just one pin shy of her career high set earlier this season at Destination Orlando. All five Dukes, in fact, that competed against the Mount finished at 200 or better as the score of 1,163 in the win ranks fifth all-time in traditional play in school history. Graduate student Samantha Timm finished at 213, one pin better than sophomore Ivanna Fraticelli.
 
UP NEXT
The 2024-25 regular season complete, Duquesne now gets set for postseason action. The ISC & ITC Sectionals are slated for Friday, March 7, through Sunday, March 9, in Addison, Ill., at Stardust Bowl. The Dukes will then return to New Jersey for the NEC Championship, which is slated for March 21-23 in Hamilton, N.J., at Hamilton Lanes.
 
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