For the fourth time in six tournaments this season, the Valpo bowling team posted a perfect record on the final day of competition, allowing the Beacons on Sunday to move up the bracket to finish in third place at the Flyer Classic in Lockport, Ill.

How It Happened

• Valpo opened Sunday’s action, contested in the best-of-seven baker format, against Augustana. The teams traded victories in the first two games before the Beacons went ahead with a 214 effort in game three. Wins in the final two games closed out the 4-1 Valpo win and advanced it up the bracket.
• The second matchup of the day came against Carthage, which claimed the first game, 211-202. Valpo rebounded with games of 199 and 189 to take the lead, and then edged Carthage by two pins in game four to go up 3-1. The Beacons closed out the 4-1 victory with their best single-game score of the day, capping the win with a 232.
• The victory moved Valpo into the third-place match versus UAB. The Beacons took the opening game with a 203, and then topped UAB by 10 pins to go up 2-0 in the match. The Blazers claimed game three, but Valpo responded with a five-point win in game four and then closed out its third straight 4-1 match win with a 191-184 victory.
• After going undefeated on the final day of a tournament just seven times total in the program’s first 12 seasons, Valpo has boasted a perfect record on Sunday four times in six tournaments this year.
• Combining this weekend’s result with the win at the Peacocks Classic three weeks ago, this year’s team becomes the program’s first since the 2011-12 squad with multiple top-three tournament finishes in the same season.

Next Up

Valpo (40-35) will return to competition in two weeks at Nebraska’s Big Red Invitational. The three-day tournament opens on Friday, Feb. 25.