The Youngstown State bowling team went 3-0 to climb from fourth place to the championship on Sunday at the Destination Orlando: Sunshine State Classic tournament at AMF Sky Lanes.
The Penguins captured their third tournament title in program history and their first since 2019. YSU took down No. 1 Vanderbilt, No. 5 Stephen F. Austin and No. 7 Jacksonville State on Sunday in the best-of-seven bracket to claim the championship.
"I'm really proud of the ladies because it was a total team effort," said YSU head coach Doug Kuberski. "They did a heck of a job staying together throughout the tournament and staying focused on the process. And in big moments, they were cool and calm. Today, we felt as one. We're going to enjoy the victory, rest up tomorrow, and get back after it on Tuesday with our focus on continuing to strengthen our process and togetherness."
Youngstown State had the second-highest Baker pinfall on Friday, and it had to grind through some low scores during the middle matches of traditional on Saturday to remain in the top four and have a chance at a title run. The Penguins averaged 207.81 to beat Vanderbilt and SFA 4-2 and sweep Jax State 4-0 in the championship match. Vanderbilt was the third seed in the bracket, SFA held the top seed, and Jacksonville State was the second seed.
Jade Cote was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament, serving as the Penguins' anchor for most of the weekend.
YSU dropped the opening game against the Commodores and the Ladyjacks, and the Guins trailed SFA 2-1 before rallying. Youngstown State had a big 194-193 win in game four against Vandy to take a 3-1 lead in the match, and YSU had victories of 236-233 and 213-205 over Stephen F. Austin.
Youngstown State began the championship match with a statement by bowling a 254 in the opening game, and a 213-203 win followed to give the Penguins a 2-0 lead. YSU then took game three 236-175, and Guins threw the final five strikes in game four. Madison Doseck and Kirsten Moore started the string with strikes in the eighth and ninth, and Cote tripped the 8-pin on her first ball to extend it. She then punctuated the tournament title with two more strikes to give YSU a 211-182 win in game four.
Youngstown State was the runner-up at its season-opening, giving the Penguins a pair of top-two finishes to start the 2023-234 season. YSU's next tournament will be at the SFA Ladyjack Classic in two weeks.
