It took just three collegiate tournaments for Valpo Bowling freshman Alexis Roof (Flint, Mich./Kearsley) to receive her first accolade, as Roof earned Tournament MVP honors at the conclusion of the Crusader Classic from Lynwood, Ill. on Sunday. Valpo lost just one match over the tournament’s three days of action, placing third.

How It Happened

• Unbeaten through two days of bowling, Valpo opened Sunday’s competition against fellow unbeaten Lewis in the tournament’s final traditional team game. Only one squad could emerge unscathed, and it would be Valpo, as the Brown and Gold dealt Lewis a 978-935 defeat behind a team-high 234 game from Roof and a 223 from senior Morgan Peacha (Henderson, Nev./Foothill).
• Positioning for bracket play is determined by total pinfall, and Valpo ranked third after the end of traditional team action with 9,735 total pins. Matched up against second-seeded Drury, the teams traded victories in the first four matches of the best-of-seven baker match before Drury came out with wins in matches five and six to earn the 4-2 victory.
• A rematch with Lewis was on the docket to close out the tournament, and despite falling behind 2-0 in the best-of-seven matchup, Valpo rallied for the 4-2 win to earn a third-place tournament finish. The victory was highlighted by a 246 effort in game four, which evened the match at that point at 2-2.
• Roof was named Tournament MVP as she led all individuals who started all six traditional team matches with a 200.3 average. This marks the third time in the last four years that a Valpo bowler has claimed the Tournament MVP award at its home tournament.
• In fact, out of the entire tournament field, only teammate Hannah Forton (Macomb, Mich./Dakota) posted a better average than Roof. Forton registered a 207 average, but started just three traditional matches.
• Junior Sam Perez (Aurora, Ill./Oswego East) joined Roof in the top-10 in the individual standings, placing 10^th with a 185 average.

Tournament Wrap-up

• Drury earned the tournament title with a 4-2 win over Kentucky Wesleyan in the championship match.
• Roof was joined on the All-Tournament Team by Kentucky Wesleyan’s Angelique McKeny, Lewis’ Kylie Johnson, Drury’s Madisyn Juenger and Dominican’s Candace Kipp.

Next Up

Valpo (16-21) competes for the fourth straight weekend and for the final time in the fall semester next weekend, making the trip to Madison, Wis. for the Warhawk Classic. The three-day event opens on Friday.