With former Valparaiso University president Dr. Alan Harre and his wife, Diane, in attendance Friday, the #25 Crusader bowling team posted a 3-1 record in action at the Big Red Invitational in Lincoln, Neb., including a victory over the nation’s top-ranked team.

How It Happened

• The Crusaders opened the day, which was contested in the traditional team format, with a bye. Senior Marianna Guerrieri (Aurora, Ill./Waubonsie Valley) led Valpo in the opener with a 180 game.
• Valpo ran into a buzzsaw in their first contested match of the day, as the five bowlers for #3 Arkansas State averaged nearly a 250 apiece as the Crusaders fell 1247-943. Senior Savannah Carr (Buckeye, Ariz./Youngker) paced Valpo as she rolled a 222.
• The Crusaders edged out #RV Maryville in their next match, 900-889, thanks to games of 216 from Guerrieri and 202 by senior Alyssa Meade (Chesterfield, Mich./L’Anse Creuse North).
• Valpo then defeated the nation’s top-ranked team, taking down #1 McKendree by a 1013-970 final. Sophomore Kendra Tryniski (Fulton, N.Y./Fulton) rolled the Crusaders’ best individual game of the day, posting a 248, while Meade registered a 202 for the second straight game.
• The Crusaders ended the day on a three-match winning streak, earning a 991-816 victory over Lincoln Memorial in their finale. Meade and fifth-year senior Olivia Wirtz (Battle Creek, Mich./Harper Creek [Vanderbilt]) led the way with matching games of 210, while Tryniski closed out the day’s action with a 204 game.
• Guerrieri recorded the Crusaders’ top average of the day, averaging an even 197 over the day’s five matches.
• The Crusaders have tallied 8,509 total pins through two days of action and enter Saturday’s final day of competition in sixth place.

Next Up

The Crusaders (40-41) close out the Big Red Invitational on Saturday from Lincoln. Action is slated to begin at 8:25 a.m.