McCANDLESS, Pa. - It's been 348 days since La Roche women's bowling has competed in an NCAA sanctioned match. During the fall 2020 semester, the team still regularly practiced and trained together in the hopes of having a spring season. This Saturday, February 20th, the Redhawks return to the lanes for their 2021 season opener.
LRU will host Penn St. Altoona, New Jersey City and Mt. Aloysius in the AMCC Round Robin #1 this Saturday beginning at 11:00 a.m. The matches will be conducted in five-game baker format. Fans can watch the matches online:
Fans can also find out lane assignments, rosters and other information in the Digital Program. No spectators will be permitted.
Last season was the inaugural one for women's bowling. Under the stewardship of head coach Diane Jones, the Redhawks finished tied for sixth in the AMCC standings out of ten teams. LRU narrowly missed the conference postseason by just 58 pins. When asked about the tomorrow's round robin, coach Jones said "The team is excited and ready to get on the lanes tomorrow. The returning players are ready to build on their experience from last year and lead the team to success and the newcomers have already added depth to the roster. I am feeling confident they will do well!"
The Redhawks will be returning four players from last season's roster, senior Alyssa Smith (Pittsburgh, PA/Bishop Canevin), senior Isabelle Orange (Latrobe, PA/Greater Latrobe), sophomore Ashley Kennedy (Warminster, PA/William Tennent HS), and sophomore Caitlin Stewart (Loretto, PA/Penn Cambria).
The 2020-21 roster also features three newcomers, sophomore Kayla Hatzis (New Brighton, PA/Riverside), freshman Ashley Krivansky (North Huntingdon, PA/Norwin) and freshman Marissa DeSensi (New Brighton, PA/New Brighton).
Last season, Ashley Kennedy was voted to the AMCC All-Conference third team. She posted an average score of 168.7 in traditional play and 158.2 in the baker format, both team bests. She recorded 151 stikes with a 27.1% strike percentage and made 61.7% of makable spares.
Senior Alyssa Smith was selected to be this years captain. Last season, Smith bowled 536 frames, recording 116 strikes and 183 spares (both 2nd most on team).
LRU bowling will compete in a limited number of matches this season. Few the Redhawks complete schedule HERE.
Follow the La Roche bowling program on instagram @lrubowling!
