No. 4 Vanderbilt Bowling finished fifth at the SFA Ladyjack Classic in Kenosha, Wisconsin, from Nov. 8-10. Despite a strong performance from graduate transfer Isabel Allen and the highest-scoring traditional match in school history, the Commodores failed to finish in the top four in pool play. As a result, the Commodores entered bracket play without the opportunity to compete for a tournament championship.
“I felt like overall the girls did a pretty good job. I think we were surprised a little bit Friday afternoon with how it transitioned and how it played [out],” head coach John Williamson said. “We did a good job digging ourselves out of a hole, but you can’t spot that many pins.”
Vanderbilt got off to a hot start in Kenosha as the team totaled 1,027 and 1,035 pins in opening wins against Lewis University and rival No. 2 Arkansas State, respectively. The victory over the Red Wolves would be the highlight of the day, however, as the Commodores did not cross the 1,000-pin mark in their final three matches. The Black and Gold would still manage a 967-934 win over No. 22 Wisconsin Whitewater, but the team would fall short against No. 3 Youngstown State (971-913) and No. 9 Maryville (1,010-931).
Williamson proved willing to change up his starting five, as the original lineup of Allen, Natalie Kent, Alyssa Ballard, Victoria Varano and Paige Peters was jettisoned after just the first two games on Friday. The team opted for a dramatic shakeup on Saturday: replacing Ballard with first-year Saphyre Nofuente.
“[Nofuente] had a good look in practice, and Saturday morning was a good opportunity,” Williamson said. “There’s really not a better chance to get experience than when you feel good about what you’re doing.”
The substitution didn’t pay off immediately, as the Commodores fell short against No. 17 Wichita State 985-908 in Saturday’s first game. A 1,093-917 Vanderbilt win over former powerhouse No. 21 McKendree would end the slump. The Commodores would then move on to a bye game — one in which no opponent was faced but Vanderbilt’s score still counted — and history would be made.
“I’d be lying if I [said] that I saw a school record coming,” Williamson said. “I did see that we had the ability to play big based on how it was playing.”
The lineup was shaken up further for Saturday’s third game when Ballard came back in for Noufente while Hailey Lindley and Kailee Channell were run alongside Allen and Kent. The change would prove both fruitful and record-breaking, as the Commodores tallied 1,237 pins — the highest-scoring traditional match total in the history of Vanderbilt’s vaunted program. Lindley led the way with 260 pins, followed by Ballard and Channell with 248 apiece, then Allen with 247 and Kent with 234.
The Commodores came back to earth in Matches Four and Five but still managed wins over No. 11 Stephen F. Austin (1,043-970) and No. 5 Nebraska (948-931). Vanderbilt still found itself in fifth place entering bracket play despite a record-setting performance and sudden turnaround — a position determined by the total pins knocked down over the weekend. Due to the tournament format, the best Vanderbilt could hope for was a third-place finish, and even that would require winning three straight best-of-seven series.
The Commodores rematched Wichita State with an eye towards revenge for their poor performance a day prior in Sunday’s first series. Vanderbilt got back in its groove early, cruising to a 215-155 win in Game One. The Shockers bounced back in Game Two of the match, winning 265-221, but the Commodores caught another lopsided victory in Game Three (241-170). From there, Vanderbilt played to extremes, scoring 253 pins in a Game Four victory but only 169 in a Game Five loss. The extreme margins kept up in Game Six; but this time, they were in the Commodores’ favor. Vanderbilt prevailed in Game Six with a margin of 254-193 and won the series 4-2.
The Commodores had another rematch in the second round of the bracket as Youngstown State looked to get revenge of its own. Vanderbilt found itself in solid position after three games, leading the series 2-1 after a 193-158 victory in Game Three. But then, inexplicably, the bottom fell out. Over the next three games, the Commodores managed only 170, 174 and 182 points — three of their five lowest-scoring performances of the entire day. The Penguins easily capitalized on Vanderbilt’s low scores, winning Games Four, Five and Six and sinking the Commodores’ chances at a top-three finish.
Vanderbilt faced Wichita State for the third time on the weekend in its final series of bracket play — this time for the rubber match. Recovering a bit of steam, the Commodores eked out a 194-190 victory in Game One and then blistered to a 253-191 victory in Game Two. The Shockers continued to play with remarkable consistency, totaling 190 pins in Game Three, which the Commodores beat with a total of 204. Facing a 3-0 deficit, Wichita State lost all momentum in Game Four, scoring only 170 pins and allowing the Commodores to cruise to an easy victory.
With its second victory over Wichita State, Vanderbilt brought home fifth place in Kenosha — behind No. 1 Jacksonville State, Maryville, Nebraska and Youngstown State. For the second straight tournament, Allen also took home hardware of her own — this time by finishing second in individual scoring with an average of 229.8 pins per traditional game.
“[Allen’s] been very consistent,” Williamson said. “She’s able to repeat first shots, which allows us to be able to move her easily, and she’s very confident in what she does. It takes a lot of maturity to be able to trust some of that stuff without having your mind work too much.”
Vanderbilt will have no time off as the team travels to New Orleans, Louisiana, for the Colonial Lanes Classic from Nov. 15-17. This is the first time the Commodores have competed at the Tulane-hosted tournament since 2021, when the team finished fifth.
