The #25 Valpo bowling team put together a record-setting performance on the lanes Friday on the first day of action at the Big Red Invitational in Lincoln, Neb., breaking the program record for team score in a five-game baker match and team scoring average in any type match in a victory over #7 Wichita State. The Beacons ended the day with a pair of victories as all five of their matchups came against top-13 teams.
 
How It Happened

• Valpo opened the day's action, conducted in the five-game baker format, against host #1 Nebraska, falling to the Cornhuskers, 1101-892.
• In the second match slot, the Beacons dropped a 1075-938 decision to #13 McKendree.
• It was the third match of the day when it all came together for Valpo as it took on #7 Wichita State. It was a consistent effort from the Beacons' lineup of Jen Patz (Naples, Fla./Naples), Lilu Smith (Gahanna, Ohio/Lincoln), Payton Rowley (Stewartville, Minn./Stewartville), Alexis Wooley (Fort White, Fla./Fort White) and Maia Struble (Anchorage, Alaska/Dimond), as the quintet posted games of 246, 224, 247, 235 and 223.
• Add it all up, and it was an 1175-1110 victory over the Shockers, besting the program's previous-best mark of 1151 for a five-game baker match, set Nov. 13, 2014. The 235.0 game average also is a program single-match record for any type of match, surpassing the 230.2 average in the aforementioned 2014 match.
• It was also the first win in program history over the longtime ITC powerhouse. The Shockers are in their first season of NCAA bowling.
• Valpo fell 1052-966 to #4 Arkansas State in the fourth match slot.
• The final matchup of the day was a position-round match which placed the Beacons into a rematch with #13 McKendree. The back-and-forth match featured a 268 game two for Valpo — the Beacons held a 12-pin advantage into the final game and held off the Bearcats in the finale for a 968-961 win.
• Valpo ended the day in fifth place out of eight competing teams in the team standings with 4,939 total pins.

 
Next Up
Valpo (38-41) returns to action with traditional team matches on Saturday beginning at 10:10 a.m.