ORLANDO, Fla. (10/27/23) – Ranked second in the nation, the Arkansas State women’s bowling team went 5-0, including a head-to-head victory over top-ranked Vanderbilt, to begin play at Destination Orlando contested at AMF Sky Lanes.

A-State (15-3) opened the day with a 1,030-1,003 pinfall margin against Vanderbilt. The Red Wolves followed with a 1,019-890 tally against Sacred Heart and a 952-866 advantage against Fairleigh Dickinson. A-State closed out the day with wins over Florida A&M (1,018-985) and Duquesne (977-945). The Red Wolves rolled a Baker game-high of 247 in game three against Duquesne and had 200-plus games in 12 of 25 games bowled Friday.

Among the 18 teams in the field, the Red Wolves are fourth in total pinfall with 4,996 pins dropped on day one. Jacksonville State leads with 5,400 followed by Stephen F. Austin (5,194) and Youngstown State (5,167). Vanderbilt (4,983), Duquesne (4,963), Tulane (4,953), Sacred Heart (4,867), Emmanuel (4,742) and UAB (4,706) round out the top 10 in pinfall.

A-State opens with a position round traditional match against Tulane Saturday and four more traditional matches follow against Texas Southern, Saint Francis, Jacksonville State and Alabama A&M. On Sunday, two rounds of Baker best-of-seven matches decides the tournament champion.