No. 5 Nebraska bowling left the Bulldog Classic with a fourth-place finish and a 7-6 record after a weekend that mixed sharp stretches with costly mistakes.
The Huskers opened bracket play on Nov. 6 by going 3-2 and sitting fourth with an average score of 198.2 and a total pinfall of 4,954. Their first test came against No.
8 Sam Houston State, and it turned into a tight, messy battle. Nebraska and the Bearcats tied 180-180 in game one before the match swung back and forth, with splits and errors affecting both teams.
Sam Houston State finished off the win 981-931.
Nebraska answered with a 956-827 victory over unranked Alabama State, then rolled through unranked Grambling State 1,057-818 to move to 2-1. The Huskers kept the momentum going against No.
12 Newman, beating the Jets 1,041-880 to reach 3-1. But the day closed with another ranked opponent, and No.
4 Arkansas State edged Nebraska 981-970 despite a strong effort from the Huskers.
Day two brought more of the same: a 3-2 finish and a hold on fourth place. Nebraska opened against unranked Jackson State in a match defined by mistakes, but the Huskers still escaped with an 870-841 win even while leaving 16 open frames.
That issue came back quickly in the next match against No. 21 Valparaiso, where Nebraska posted 14 open frames and fell 1,002-886.
The struggles at the end of frames continued against No. 2 Vanderbilt.
The Commodores won 1,122-1,006, and Nebraska left nine frames open in the loss. The Huskers steadied themselves from there, though, beating No.
7 Louisiana Tech and unranked Prairie View A&M to finish the day 3-2 and move to 6-4 for the tournament.
Senior Desiree Buchert was a bright spot on day two, finishing with an average score of 202 and a total pinfall of 1,010, which placed her in the top 25 individually.
On Nov. 8, Nebraska’s path to the top of the bracket disappeared in a rematch with No.
4 Arkansas State. The Red Wolves won the series 4-1, ending any chance of a first-place finish because Nebraska needed to win out in bracket play.
The Huskers then got another shot at tournament host No. 7 Louisiana Tech and made it count, sweeping the Bulldogs to stay alive for third place.
That set up one more meeting with Arkansas State, this time in the third-place match. The teams traded games throughout the series, and Nebraska pushed late enough to force a seventh game.
But the comeback fell short, and Arkansas State won 4-3 to claim third place while Nebraska settled for fourth.
The Huskers will be back on the lanes Nov. 13 to 15 at McKendree’s Bearcat Classic in Fairview Heights, Illinois.
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