KUTZTOWN, PA (March 12, 2010) -- The Kutztown University women's bowling team will pack their bags for the second consecutive weekend, this time for a three day tournament in Nashville, Tennessee. Vanderbilt University will host its fifth annual Columbia 300 Music City Bowling Classic Friday through Sunday at the Smyrna Bowling Center.

Kutztown, (55-45, 9-5) is ranked 12th in the latest poll release by the National Tenpins Coaches Association (NTCA). The Golden Bears will see competition on the lanes during the tournament; 17 of the 20 nationally ranked schools will be competing this weekend.

The Golden Bears will perform in six traditional team matches on Friday. Kutztown will have a difficult first day, sharing the alley with five nationally ranked teams. They include  10th-ranked Valparaiso, Winston-Salem State, Fairleigh Dickinson (3), Nebraska (4), St. Francis N.Y. (11), and Minnesota State-Mankato (14).

Saturday's matches will consist of six quad-baker games. Kutztown will compete against Sacred Heart (13), North Carolina A&T, Vanderbilt (2), Central Missouri (6), Louisiana Tech (17), and Florida A&M (18).

Sunday will include three best 4-of-7 Baker Position Rounds. The competition will be based on position from the total pins combination of Saturday and Sunday matches.

“It's definantly the toughest field of the season (for Kutztown),” head coach Joe Ambrose said.  “Seventeen of the nation's top 20 teams are here. The results will have national implications for any team that is in the mix.”

Leading the Golden Bears all season have been Kayla Stamm (Mohnton, PA/Governor Mifflin) and Kayla Jones (Johnstown, PA/Westmont-Hilltop), but stepping up big for the Golden Bears at last weekend's ECAC Championship tournament was freshman Heather Shoemaker (West Milton, PA/Lewisburg). 

Shoemaker finished sixth place overall in individual performance with a tournament average of 192.6.  She averaged 80.4% with 41/51 in filled frames. She earned 26 of 57 strikes and averaged 80% in her spares. Shoemaker bowled 225, 224, 191, 176, and 145.

Vanderbilt is the defending tournament champion. They are also coming off a victory at the ECAC Championships.

The Music City Classic starts at 10:45 a.m. 12:30p.m. on Saturday and resumes at 8:30 a.m. on Sunday. Admission is free of charge.