EAST NORRITON, Pa.- The #4 seed Caldwell University women's bowling team knocked off #2 seed Chestnut Hill College to advance to the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Championship Final on Sunday afternoon. The Cougars notched a 2-1 mega match win over the Griffins, winning the team traditional round and the baker best of seven.
In their lone match of the day, the fourth seeded Cougars faced second seed Chestnut Hill in the winner's bracket of the conference championship with both teams entering the match undefeated in the double-elimination championship.
Caldwell won the first round of the mega match with a 1,077-918 win in the traditional team format. The Griffins evened the match a 1-1 as they took the baker format 1,007-943 to force a deciding best of 7 match.
The Griffins won the first game of the best of 7 225-214 but the Cougars won the second game 229-180. Caldwell won the next three games, 238-222, 202-135 and 204-181 to emerge victorious 4-1 in the round and win the mega match 2-1 to advance to the championship final.
Through two days, sophomore
Hayley Vesek (Dallas, Pa.) leads the Cougars with a 21.50 baker average, while junior
Lauren Marks (Parsippany, N.J.) currently has a 20.50 baker average. Graduate
Victoria Vucak (Garfield, N.J.) has an 18.63 baker average, while senior
Rhianna Smith (Mount Olive, N.J.) holds an 18.10 baker average.
Marks leads the Cougars with a 209.0 traditional average over the first two days of the championship, while sophomore
Yoana Hyamn-Cruz (Edison, N.J.) holds a 194.5 traditional average. Smith is currently averaging a 194.0 traditional average heading into Sunday's final.
The Cougars conclude play at the CACC Championship on Sunday, March 26 where they will face the winner of the morning elimination match between #1 Wilmington University and #2 seed Chestnut Hill. That match will take place at 8:30 am with the championship final to start at 1:30 pm. Caldwell needs to win one mega match to capture the conference title with an if-necessary mega match to follow if the Cougars fall in the 1:30 match.
