It was a dramatic day on the lanes for the Valpo bowling team as the Beacons concluded competition at the Valpo Bowling Classic Sunday, as all three of their matches came down to one final game. In the end, Valpo earned victories in two of the three matches to conclude its home tournament in sixth place.

How It Happened

• Bracket play, contested in the best-of-seven baker format, opened for the Beacons against Wright State. Valpo and WSU split the first four games before the Beacons used a 204 game to take a 3-2 lead in the match. The Raiders came back with a game six win to force a decisive seventh game, which Valpo took by a 183-146 final to advance up the bracket.
• That first match was a harbinger of things to come on Sunday for Valpo, with each of its three matches going the distance. The win over WSU set up a matchup with #21 Lincoln Memorial for an opportunity to play in the fifth-place match.
• Valpo and LMU split the first two games, with Valpo rolling its best game of the day in game two — a 236. The Beacons followed with a 223 in game three to take a 2-1 lead in the match, but came up just one pin short in game four as LMU evened the match, 2-2.
• Another narrow decision went against Valpo in game five, as the Beacons came out on the wrong end of a 214-210 final to fall behind 3-2. They bounced back with a game six win, however, and then posted a 211 in game seven to complete the comeback and earned the 4-3 match win.
• Valpo faced off with #13 Newman in the fifth-place match. The two squads split the first two games, with the Beacons rolling a 213 in game two, and a 210 game four for Valpo evened the match at 2-2.
• The Beacons won game five thanks to a 201 game to take a 3-2 lead in the match before Newman claimed game six to force another decisive game seven. Both teams were on their game in the finale, but in the end, Newman earned the match win with a 227-212 game seven.

Inside the Tournament

• #9 Maryville defeated #RV Oklahoma Christian in the championship match, 4-1, to earn the Valpo Bowling Classic team title.
• Lincoln Memorial’s Haley Powell was Tournament MVP and was joined on the All-Tournament Team by Anna Maxwell (Maryville), Kassidy Miller (Newman), Kaylee Back (Oklahoma Christian) and Natalie Heltne (Maryville).

Next Up

Valpo (17-8) takes to the lanes for the final time this semester in two weekends, heading to the MOTIV Ladyjack Classic, hosted by Stephen F. Austin in Kenosha, Wis. The three-day event begins Friday, Nov. 10.