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READING, Pa. – The ninth-ranked Kutztown University women's bowling team had the entire country watching it on Friday, as the Golden Bears hosted the first day of the sixth annual Kutztown Invitational at Hiester Lanes, the largest tournament in the NCAA for the fourth straight year.
 
Through six quad baker style matches, Kutztown (44-22) sits in 10th place with a total pinfall of 4428 and a 4-2 record. Notably, 13 of the 26 teams competing at the invite are ranked in the latest National TenPin Coaches Association (NTCA) Top 20 poll.
 
Junior Kayla Maselkevich (Drums, PA/Hazleton Area) held the team's top frame average on the day. Though 29 frames, she averaged 21.49 pins. Senior Deanna DiRado (Greensburg, PA/Greensburg Salem) was second on the team with 19.85 in 47 frames, followed by junior Rikki Cohen (Marlton, NJ/Cherokee) (19.17-29 frames) and senior Brooke Bower (Camp Hill, PA/Cedar Cliff) (18.97-47 frames).
 
Kutztown opened the day against Morgan State. After starting off slow in the first game, Kutztown posted a daily-high of 250 in the second game, capped with seven strikes. KU went on to win three of four games and earn the 752-664 victory.
 
The second match of the day was Kutztown's tightest match, and ultimately the toughest to let slip away. Taking on seventh-ranked Wisconsin-Whitewater for the second time this season, Kutztown again used a strong second game to command an early lead. Bower and Dakota May (Conklin, NY/Susquehanna Valley) finished out the 10th frame with three strikes in the 10th to earn KU a 201-168 game-two win. UWW posted a game-high 233 though in the third and carried a 17-pin lead into the final game. Kutztown was unfortunate and faced 7-10 splits in back-to-back frames and dropped the fourth game by 16 pins, and the match, 730-729.
 
Unranked Salem International looked to take advantage of Kutztown's recent setback and took the first two games. KU won game three and needed 68 pins to tie the match. It finished the game with four strikes, one from DiRado and three from Bower, for a 68-pin win to tie the match and force a five-frame tiebreaker. Kutztown dominated the tiebreaker, winning 109-51 and taking the match 801-743.
 
Kutztown won three of the four games against both Coppin State (737-625) and North Carolina Central (754-619) in a pair of victories before taking on eighth-ranked Vanderbilt. Kutztown started off hot with a 215 in the first game, but did not build a lead due to Vanderbilt's 214. Vanderbilt went on to win the next three games and take the match 876-764.
 
The Golden Bears continue action at its annual home invite on Saturday, Jan. 25 at Heister Lanes against fifth-ranked Stephen F. Austin, 14th-ranked Valparaiso, North Carolina A&T, second-ranked Maryland Eastern Shore, Norfolk State, and 15th-ranked Delaware State. Kutztown's senior day for DiRado, Bower, and Rebecca Velazquez (Mohegan Lake, NY/Lakeland) is set for 8:40 a.m., followed by practice at 9 a.m. and competition at 9:30 a.m.
 
Fans can catch all the action live at BOWL.com, the official website of the United States Bowling Congress, as it will provide a free webcast of the entire three-day event.
 
 
Kutztown Results
#9 Kutztown 752, Morgan State 664
#7 Wisconsin-Whitewater 730, #9 Kutztown 729
#9 Kutztown 801, Salem International 743
#9 Kutztown 737, Coppin State 625
#9 Kutztown 754, North Carolina Central 619
#8 Vanderbilt 876, #9 Kutztown 764