CORAM, N.Y. -- All the work Kutztown did Friday to earn the No. 2 seed and an opening round bye in double-elimination bracket play was nearly washed away when the Golden Bears dropped their first match Saturday to seventh-seeded Molloy. Kutztown wouldn't be deterred, however, winning its next four matches to set up a rematch with Molloy and on the brink of a championship match appearance.
 
The Bears took an early lead in the best-of-seven Baker series against Molloy, winning game one by a 166-153 score. It would be short-lived as the Lions won the next three to take control. Kutztown forced a sixth game with a 212-166 victory in game five, but Molloy pulled out a 10-pin victory in game six, 183-173.
 
With their backs up against the wall, the Golden Bears went to work. Ally Sipe (York, Pa./Central York), Rachel Wagner (Cheektowaga, N.Y./Depew), Megan Hanaway (Forked River, N.J./Lacey Township), Madison Brenneman (York, Pa./Central York) and Chloe Sromovski (Wilkes-Barre, Pa./G.A.R. Memorial) dispatched Saint Anselm in five games, 4.5-0.5, behind a pair of 200+ games. The only thing keeping KU from a sweep was a 187-187 draw in game two.
 
Kutztown got its sweep a match later, beating Bryant for the second time this weekend. The Maroon and Gold topped 200 in games one (201) and three (202), completing the 4-0 victory with a hard-fought 171-167 win in the finale.
 
The Golden Bears reached the 50-win mark for the 13th time in the program's 15-season history with a 4-1 win over Roberts Wesleyan. All five games were close, but Angela Reynolds' squad won the first two games by a combined 19 pins, put up a 247 in game three to take a commanding series lead and rolled a 201 in game five to close the series with an 11-pin victory.
 
 Kutztown (51-34) won its fourth elimination match in a row, 4-1, over Daemen in round six. The Bears once again opened a 3-0 series lead, highlighted by a 207-146 win in game three. Daemen avoided the sweep, but could not match KU in game five, with the Golden Bears moving on to Sunday with a 203-152 win.
 
All that stands between Kutztown and its first appearance in the championship mega match since the inaugural ECC Championship tournament in 2016 is Molloy. The Golden Bears will get a chance to avenge their Saturday loss to the Lions when the two teams meet Sunday morning at 8 a.m. The winner will advance to face top-seeded Mercyhurst.