The Valpo bowling team finished out its first tournament of the spring semester on Sunday in Waterloo, Iowa, closing Upper Iowa’s Peacock Classic in fourth place. Sophomore Lilu Smith (Gahanna, Ohio/Lincoln) earned All-Tournament Team honors as she ranked among the field’s top bowlers in individual average.

How It Happened

• Valpo entered Sunday’s bracket play, contested in the best-of-seven baker format, as the third seed and matched up against fourth-seeded #RV Lewis. The Beacons got out to the lead with a 197 in game one, but Lewis came back with wins in the next four games to finish out a 4-1 final.
• The loss dropped Valpo into a meeting with Quincy. After the two squads split the first two games, Valpo posted back-to-back games of 197 and 196 in games three and four to go up 3-1 in the match. Quincy extended the match with a win in game five, but the Beacons rolled a 245 — their best single-game effort of the day — in game six to close out a 4-2 victory.
• Valpo’s final bracket match for the final standings pitted the Beacons against host Upper Iowa. UIU earned wins in the first two games and never trailed, as the teams split the next four games and Upper Iowa claimed third place with a 4-2 win.
• Smith earned All-Tournament Team honors at the Peacock Classic for a second straight season as she posted an average of 206.0 over Saturday’s five traditional matches, good for fifth in the tournament field.

Next Up

Valpo (24-29) is right back in action next weekend at the Red Flash Invitational in Altoona, Pa., hosted by St. Francis. The three-day event begins Friday morning, Jan. 27.