The Valparaiso University bowling team closed out its season-opening tournament on Sunday at the Allstate Sugar Bowl Invitational in Harahan, La., finishing the event in seventh place. Senior Kendra Tryniski (Fulton, N.Y./Fulton) was named Tournament MVP after posting the top average among all bowlers in Saturday’s traditional team matches.

How It Happened

• Valpo opened best-of-seven bracket play against #11 North Carolina A&T, falling 4-0. The Brown and Gold then dropped a 4-0 decision to #16 UAB in their next match.
• Valpo closed the tournament with a 4-2 victory over #RV Alabama State. Down 2-1, Valpo rallied with games of 205, 201 and 190 to rally for the win.
• After posting the field’s top average on Saturday, registering a 204.8 average over five matches, Tryniski was named Tournament MVP and earned a spot on the All-Tournament Team. Tryniski is Valpo’s first Tournament MVP since sophomore Hannah Forton (Macomb, Mich./Dakota) earned the accolade at last year’s Crusader Challenge, and is the first Valpo bowler to earn the accolade at a non-Valpo tournament since Katherine Sulaitis claimed the honor at the Virginia Union Invitational in November of 2015.

Next Up

Valpo (6-7) continues its stretch of four tournaments in four weekends to open the season next weekend at the Bearcat Hammer Open in Fairview Heights, Ill. The three-day event begins on Friday morning, Oct. 26.