Before No. 4 Vanderbilt Bowling took to the lanes for its early morning practice on October 15, 2024, the team huddled together for a moment of collective motivation. Highlighted in that moment was a quote of the day — this one chosen by graduate transfer Isabel Allen — meant to embody the spirit of the team.
“Each of us has a fire in our hearts for something. It’s our goal in life to find it and keep it lit.”
It’s a fitting quote for a team whose fire burns in unison for one collective goal: winning a national championship. Two seasons ago, the Commodores accomplished that goal for the third time in program history — storming back from a 3-1 deficit to defeat Arkansas State in the NCAA Championship. Last season, Vanderbilt finished second in its NCAA Regional pod behind the Red Wolves. The loss marked the end for three of the program’s most historic seniors: Jennifer Loredo, Amanda Naujokas and Caroline Thesier.
But, with every end comes a new beginning, and now a new crop of players gets their time to shine in black and gold.
Kailee Channell, Kaylee Hitt and Paige Peters round out the senior class this season for the Commodores. After missing the entirety of her sophomore year due to injury, Channell had a breakthrough junior campaign that put her squarely in Vanderbilt’s starting rotation. Spearheading the cohort, and the team, is Peters, who earned First Team All-American honors last season. The Toms River, New Jersey, prospect could easily find herself in the national MVP conversation this season if she, too, can fight off the injury bug.
“We have a really good group of girls,” Peters said. “We’re setting goals, and I think aiming for the little things and having them down on paper will allow us to accomplish those goals.”
In an unorthodox turn of events, the seniors on the team will not be the program’s elder statesmen, as the transfer Allen joins the squad as only the second graduate student in program history. After three seasons at McKendree and one season with the reigning national champions, Jacksonville State, Allen joins a loaded Commodores squad fresh off a Second Team All-American stint of her own.
“[Allen’s] mature, she comes from a winning background and she knows what it takes to be successful,” associate head coach Josie Barnes said. “She has the respect of the girls on the team because they’ve all competed against her and seen what she’s been able to do. So much about leadership is that respect.”
Alyssa Ballard and Victoria Varano make up a highly accomplished junior class. Ballard earned Third Team All-American honors as a freshman while Varano is a reigning Second Team All-American. The latter may also turn into the team’s go-to at the anchor spot, the last person in the rotation for Baker matches.
“Last year, we tried focusing too much on trying to strike instead of going back to the basics, staying in the pocket and making our spares,” Ballard said. “Once those are in, everything just falls into place.”
The Commodores also bring back a pair of talented sophomores in Natalie Kent and Hailey Lindley. Both were consistent presences in Vanderbilt’s lineup as freshmen, with Lindley snagging First Team All-Rookie and All-American Honorable Mention honors.
Making their debuts for the Black and Gold will be first-years Sydney Bohn, Stephanie Hong and Saphyre Nofuente. The Commodores have benefitted from award-winning rookie play over the last three seasons and will likely look to their youth once again as more than just bench pieces.
“Nofuente has a really unique game that I think can allow her to be successful really early on,” Barnes said. “Bohn comes from a bowling pedigree — she has a dad that’s top 50 all time — so she comes in with unique knowledge that most freshmen don’t come in with. Hong will be our first two-hander, which is unique and exciting. She’s able to do something on the lanes that no one else really can.”
The Commodores will first put their talent to the test at the Destination Orlando tournament from Oct. 18-20. Three more tournaments round out the fall season before the spring opens with the Northeast Classic in New Castle, Delaware. As always, Vanderbilt will host the Music City Classic — the final tournament of the regular season — at the Smyrna Bowling Center from March 14-16.
Once the regular season concludes, the Commodores will head to New Orleans, Louisiana, for the Conference USA Championship. The C-USA is the powerhouse conference of collegiate bowling, boasting the top four teams in the preseason rankings — Jacksonville State, Arkansas State, Youngstown State and Vanderbilt — among other high-quality programs.
If everything goes according to plan, Vanderbilt will find itself at an NCAA Regional once again and potentially advance back to the Final Four. If it does, the team will be in familiar territory, as the NCAA Championship is being held once again in Las Vegas, Nevada — the site of the Commodores’ championship victory two seasons ago.
The coaching staff believes that the team has everything it needs to make it back to the promised land. The only question is whether it all comes together.
“Talent-wise, they have the ability to [win] it,” head coach John Williamsion said. “It’s just, can they maximize the opportunity when they get it?”
