Bowling takes SWAC

Every so often Southern University gets a team that won’t settle for second place, a team of champions that compete to win.
Sure, there was the SU football team in the early 2000’s. There was the baseball team around the same time.
Men’s and women’s basketball each claimed crowns in 2005.
Now women’s bowling is the winner at SU.
In 12 years at the school bowling coach Karen Couvillon has six Southwestern Athletic Conference titles and four second place finishes under her belt. She also has six Coach of the Year trophies.
The latest triumph came four games to three after more than 5 ½ hours of competition against rival Alabama A&M. Ironically, A&M was the same team SU defeated last year to claim the SWAC title.
“It just went on and on,” said Couvillon. “We were undefeated going into the last round on Sunday, so for A&M to win they had to beat us twice.”
SU lost its first match on Sunday 4-2, then the Jaguars and Bulldogs battled through a dramatic seven game series that eventually went to a roll off.
The Jaguars won the first two games 179-167 and 194-179 before A&M won the next two games 176-154 and 163-156 to tie the match at 2-2.
SU won game five 184-158 but lost game six 188-171, forcing a decisive game seven roll off.
Behind by 20 pins in the final frame, SU’s Vanessa Caldwell, the tournament’s Most Outstanding Bowler, spared and threw a strike on the final ball to force overtime at 179-179.
“It was very intense,” said SU junior Alex Brooks. “Especially the five frame roll off.”
Playing on an NCAA style lane pattern frames six through 10, Caldwell secured SU’s second consecutive SWAC title with a strike in the final frame that tied the overtime period and a spare on the final ball to give the Jaguars the one pin win.
Last year SU defeated A&M by just 10 pins.
“The lanes really hurt A&M because it caused them to hook their balls,” Couvillon said. “It’s a very difficult shot and if you don’t find just the right shot, you split a lot. That helped us because we have straighter bowlers that bowl straight down the lane with much less splitting.
“In the roll off they split and we closed the frame,” Couvillon said. “That kind of clinched it for us.”
In the first frame on Sunday, Alabama A&M downed Southern four games to two to force the decisive match.
The Bulldogs rallied from a 2-1 deficit to win the final three games to hand the Jaguars their first loss in this year’s tournament.
The teams split their first four games, with SU winning Game 1 185-166 before A&M won Game 2 173-164. The Jaguars won Game 3 182-175 and the Bulldogs won Game 4 183-171 and Game 5 183-164.
“The two teams are very close in ability,” Couvillon said. “Going into the tournament A&M’s coach and I talked about this. We expected them to be there and we expected to beat them.”
Caldwell was named the Most Outstanding Bowler of the All-Tournament Team for the second consecutive year. During team competition, she averaged 205.40, highlighted by a high game score of 255.
Krystal Collins and Cassandra Shivers were also named to the All-Tournament Team.
In total, SU had four players named to this year’s All-SWAC bowling team. Freshman Shannon Pearson and Shivers were named to the first team. Collins and Caldwell were named to the second team. Shivers was named to the all-academic team for the second straight year.
“We have a real variety of players, that’s what makes our team so strong,” Couvillon said. “Each one has their own strengths and when one struggles, the other steps up. They really work together.”
SU will compete in the Music City Classic hosted by Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn. March 13-15 to determine whether the Jaguars will be invited to the NCAA Tournament.