NCAA women’s bowling: Duquesne, Mercyhurst among tournament teams in Pittsburgh

Less than a week after Pittsburgh played host to an NCAA regional in women’s gymnastics, it will do the same for women’s bowling.

Duquesne, the host school, along with Mercyhurst, Nebraska and Stephen F. Austin, will bowl Friday and Saturday at AMF Mt. Lebanon Lanes for one of four spots in the championship final in Las Vegas.

The Dukes, who claimed a share of the regular-season Northeast Conference title, earned one of eight at-large bids in the field of 17. Mercyhurst, in Erie, claimed the East Coast Conference’s automatic bid. Other regional sites include Rochester, N.Y.; Lansing, Mich.; and Arlington, Texas.

“We were very excited to hear our names called,” said Duquesne coach Jody Fetterhoff, who built the program from scratch eight years ago. “Outside of the team, friends and family, a lot of people didn’t think we’d get in.”

This will be the second tournament appearance for the Dukes (69-30), who are ranked 11th in both of the sport’s major polls. They will bowl against fifth-ranked Stephen F. Austin (81-38) at 9 a.m. Friday. The Dukes lost a pair of close matches to the Ladyjacks in February in Orlando.

Both Fetterhoff and senior Kiearra Saldi said team chemistry was the reason the Dukes are back in the postseason after a one-year absence.

“We definitely lift each other up,” said Saldi, a biomedical engineering major and the lone senior on the roster. “If somebody misses a spare, we try to stay as positive as possible.

“We genuinely enjoy hanging out outside the lanes. Not every team is like that. We don’t put pressure on each other to do well. The important thing is to stay strong and encourage each other.”

Mercyhurst (83-38) will bowl against Nebraska (80-37), which is the tournament’s No. 4 overall seed and the only seeded team in the Pittsburgh region. The Lakers upset the Cornhuskers, 4-1, at a tournament in Illinois in the regular season.

Fetterhoff’s squad of six is small compared to the eight to 10 bowlers who comprise other programs. That has its advantages, though. The team is tight. Fetterhoff has had to rely on every bowler at some point in a big spot. Saldi will bowl in the anchor spot in the regional, but Fetterhoff said every player has gotten the opportunity to fill the role this season.

Morgan Brookover, a sophomore from Davisville, W. Va., is coming off a career-best 245 at the NEC tournament. Another sophomore, Ranelle Ulanday from Union, Ky., matched her with a 245. Shannon Small, a junior from Plum, was second-team all-NEC last season and is known for converting tough spares.

The double-elimination tournament is open to the public. In addition to this year, Pittsburgh will play host to the regional for the next three years.

“Not sure what to expect, this being the first year. But we’re excited,” said Jennifer Hawkins, executive director of SportsPittsburgh, a division of Visit Pittsburgh and the entity that led Pittsburgh’s successful bid.

From what she has been told, the atmosphere at a college bowling event can be a unique one, Hawkins said. Families, friends and fans are known to bring stepladders so they can see the action over the players who stand to watch and cheer on their teammates.

“NCAA bowling has grown so much,” Fetterhoff said. “Nebraska and SFA travel really well. Mercyhurst’s not far away. We’re hoping a lot of people come out.”

What: NCAA women’s bowling, Pittsburgh regional.

When: Friday-Saturday.

Where: AMF Mt. Lebanon Lanes, 1601 Washington Road.

Format: Double elimination.

Schedule: Round 1, Duquesne vs. Stephen F. Austin and Mercyhurst vs. Nebraska, both at 9 a.m. Friday. Round 2 matches begin at 3 p.m. Friday and round 3 at 9 a.m. Saturday. The final is 3 p.m. Saturday. Another match to decide the championship, if necessary, would immediately follow.

Tickets: On sale at goduquesne.com or at the tournament venue.

Live stream: goduquesne.com.