Mustangs pick up program-first KCAC Championship title

SIOUX CITY, IOWA – Morningside's women's bowling team, for the first time in program history, claimed the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference Bowling Championship title, taking the league's automatic berth to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics National Championship. 

The Mustangs went undefeated on the day, starting off with a victory over Kansas Wesleyan as they ran the winner's side of the tournament bracket on their way to the team victory. It truly was a team victory, too, as the entire lineup came in clutch, with Rachel Spier, Victoria Elwick, Maren Ewertz, Alexa Munhofen, Emaly Kruse, and Libbie Keith all recorded strikes at key points in the day..

Morningside knocked McPherson to the loser's bracket in the quarterfinal round, continuing on the short path to the championship, when it met University of Saint Mary in the semifinals. 

USM started the day with an 8 a.m. play-in series, knocking off College of Saint Mary, Ottawa, and Midland on its way to the semifinals. 

The Mustangs bounced the Spires to the loser's bracket after a slow start to the match. In game one, Morningside hit four strikes in a row to retake the lead and added another pair in the tenth frame to win 197-168. The Mustangs dropped the next game 193-145, but quickly bounced back against a talented Saint Mary's team, 179-171, on the strength of a final-frame turkey. 

In game four, it was Munhofen that put the game on ice, picking up a spare in the ninth frame to push to a 168-150 win and move to the finals. Saint Mary kept the pressure on the Mustangs throughout the match, picking up pins in key situations to keep Morningside from being able to relax.

The Mustangs moved to the finals, facing Ottawa in a first-to-four series. Morningside quickly took a 1-0 lead, closing out its entire first game with four strikes in a row, a pair of spares, and another turkey and a spare to grab a 243-178 win and a 1-0 advantage before the Braves scored a 175-142 equalizer.

The third game started with four spares, and a turkey, and ended with a pair of final-frame strikes for Kruse, who reminded all in attendance why she was the KCAC bowler of the year. Morningside's comeback came up a pin short, as the game resulted in a 196-196 tie. 

Game four was another nail biter for Morningside as Ottawa looked to be finding momentum, stringing together strikes to hand the Mustangs a 195-179 loss, despite a trio of strikes for Kruse in the final frame.

Morningside bounced back in game five, however, as Munhofen and Kruse combined for three strikes in the final two frames to guarantee that Ottawa was on the short end of a 177-169 win.

Continuing to build was the name of the sixth game. Spier led off with one of a pair of strikes, Elwick with the other, to start the match. The second time through the lineup, Morningside scored a strike-spare-strike-spare-spare-strike combo taking the lead and holding the smallest 9-point margin, 178-169.

The Mustangs continued to feed off the strong Morningside contingent in the seventh game, as Spier started the game with a strike. Munhofen hit a spare, and Kruse cleared the board with a strike the first time through the lineup. Spier added a spare on the day, while Ewertz had a huge southpaw strike. Munhofen added another strike and Kruse paired a strike and a spare to give Morningside a narrow 180-178 win. 

The Mustangs will now continue to prepare for their trip to nationals, played March 20-22 in Sterling Heights, Mich.