ST. CHARLES, Mo. – The Columbia College women's bowling team set a program record in qualifying and then won three straight elimination matches in bracket play, tying for third at the 18th Annual Lions Match Play Classic on Nov. 7-8. Columbia's varsity reserve team qualified second in its division and was one game away from extending its run on Sunday.

The event used a different format than most of the season. Saturday was qualifying and Power Points day, with three traditional team games followed by 12 Baker games. Sunday was all bracket play, with each division competing in a double-elimination bracket seeded by the qualifying totals.

Columbia averaged 179.1 per bowler across Saturday's three traditional team games. That is the highest team-game average in Tier II competition in program history and the fourth-highest of all time. The Cougars rolled 2,686 pins in those games, an average of 895.3 per game, and opened with a 932 in Game 1. They followed with a solid Baker block of 2,069 pins over 12 games (172.4 average), including a high game of 201. Columbia finished fourth of 11 teams with 4,755 total pins and earned valuable USBC Power Points.

Kiana Hodges led Columbia on Saturday with 589 pins over three games, a 196.3 average that ranked sixth among 50 varsity bowlers. She opened with a 212 and followed with a 195 and a 182. Rhyleigh Wilson added 534 pins (178.0 average), rolling 186 in both her first and third games.

Ally Johnson rolled 522 pins (174.0 average) and opened with games of 191 and 185. Amara Vrell posted 521 pins (173.7 average) with a high game of 187, and Madeline Fabish added 520 pins (173.3 average) after opening with a 182. Abi Owen did not bowl in the traditional team games but joined the lineup for the Baker games.

Columbia entered Sunday's bracket as the No. 4 seed and got off to a slow start, dropping its opening match 2-0 to No. 5 Barton Community College. The Cougars responded by winning three straight matches on the elimination side of the bracket. They edged No. 8 Kansas 2-1, swept No. 9 Luther 2-0, and then avenged their opening loss with a 2-0 sweep of Barton.

That run set up a fifth-round match with top-seeded McKendree for a spot in the title match. McKendree put together two strong games to win 2-0, and Columbia tied for third in the bracket.

The varsity reserve team also had a strong Saturday. After a slow first game (718), it answered with team games of 828 and 801, then threw well in the Baker format. Its 2,054 Baker pins were the highest Baker total in the division, a 171.2 average with games of 224, 215 and 203. The reserve team finished second of five teams with 4,401 pins and earned the No. 2 seed for Sunday's bracket.

Kenna Schmidt led the reserve team in the traditional team games with 526 pins (175.3 average), rolling 182, 178 and 166. Audrey Pense added 467 pins, including a 192, and Calleigh Beyer finished with 176 and 166 after opening with a 119.

On Sunday the reserve team dropped its first-round match to No. 3 Missouri Baptist, then bounced back with a 2-0 win over No. 5 Central Methodist. The next round against No. 4 Lindenwood came down to the final shots. Columbia won Game 1, Lindenwood took Game 2, and the winner-take-all Game 3 went to Lindenwood, 153-151, ending the reserve team's day with a 2-1 loss.

Up Next: Columbia returns to the lanes at the McKendree Match Games in Belleville, Ill., on Nov. 21-22.

Varsity – Saturday Traditional Team Games

Varsity – Saturday Baker Games

Varsity – Sunday Bracket (No. 4 Seed)

Varsity Reserve – Saturday Traditional Team Games

Varsity Reserve – Saturday Baker Games

Varsity Reserve – Sunday Bracket (No. 2 Seed)