STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. -- After qualifying for the NAIA National Championship in its first year of competition, Wililam Woods turned in a solid performance at 5 Star Lanes but ultimately fell in both bracket play matches, pushing St. Xavier to six games in a 4-2 loss and dropping a 4-1 result to eventual third-place finisher the University of St. Francis.
"Regardless of the results, I am proud of our team for their performance here and throughout the season," William Woods bowling coach Bill Holbrook said in a release. "To qualify for a national championship tournament is extremely challenging for any team, but to do it in your first year of competition is amazing. We battled against some of the top teams in the NAIA RPI and hung with them, and that's a great takeaway for next year."
William Woods started strong in seeding play, finishing the first set tied for fifth with a pinfall of 751. After a slight drop in the second baker set, the Owls remained steady but couldn't find a handle on the lane conditions, ultimately finishing the seeding rounds ranked 12th.
Taking on fifth-seeded St. Xavier in the first round of bracket play, the Owls traded wins back and forth with the Cougars.
"In the first five games against St. Xavier, we were in position to win four of them but only managed two," Holbrook added in a release. "We made too many mistakes of our own and were unable to take advantages of the opportunities that St. Xavier gave us. But at the end of the day, we learned a lot in competing against the No. 3 team in the RPI and will take that with us going forward."
With the best-of-seven match tied 2-2, Woods nearly mounted a comeback in Game 5, but oil conditions wreaked havoc on WWU. Caitlyn Rawson's spare attempt in the eighth got hung up in transfer near the end of the lane and didn't hook, sliding right of the leftovers for an open frame. In the 10th, Trista Rauma ran into the opposite problem, as her shot hooked early, leaving the four pin standing.
The Owls dropped the match 4-2 (205-174, 162-170, 181-151, 164-176, 187-170, 256-180), falling into the consolation bracket.
On Saturday, Woods faced a University of St. Francis squad that was already warmed up and looking for redemption after squandering a first-round bye with a 4.5-2.5 loss to Milligan.
After a slow start in Game 1, Woods recovered and even managed to take a game from USF, but ultimately fell 4-1 (193-137, 244-226, 221-161, 189-182, 191-156) to conclude the 2023-24 season.
Kirsten Butcher, Savannah Edmonds, Izzy Fletcher, Bethany Johnson, Rauma, Rawson and Hailey Triske were William Woods's competitors at the tournament.