PAJAK WINS FIRST TITLE AT PWBA GREATER DETROIT OPEN

PAJAK WINS FIRST TITLE AT PWBA GREATER DETROIT OPEN

GREEN BAY, Wis. – When Daria Pajak considered leaving her home in Poland to pursue a college education and bowling career in the United States, she needed an extra push. Her father was the person to do it.

Now, Pajak can call herself a Professional Women’s Bowling Association champion after defeating Verity Crawley, her friend and Webber International teammate, 224-203, to win the 2017 PWBA Greater Detroit Open.

After a spare in the first frame, Pajak rattled off three consecutive strikes before leaving a 3-4-6-7 split in the fifth. The 24-year-old right-hander converted the split and rode the momentum to her first career PWBA title.

It was a title that may never have happened had it not been for her father, and Pajak dedicated the victory to her dad.

“My dad is a great man and has been my idol,” Pajak said. “He’s an athlete. He used to be a bodybuilder, and he has that athlete’s mind, where he knows what it takes to win. He’s always been pushing me outside of my comfort zone.

“Coming to the (United) States was something I always wanted, but if he didn’t push me here, I don’t think I would’ve ever made the decision. Father’s Day back home was a few days ago (the show was taped June 25), and he said the TV show was his present. He doesn’t need anything else.”

Pajak advanced to the title match by defeating 2012 United States Bowling Queens champion Diandra Asbaty of Chicago, 190-186. Asbaty was making her first televised appearance since winning the major title.

The match was close throughout, with Asbaty needing a double in the final frame to advance, but she was unable to strike on her first attempt.

“I was really proud of my spare game, which is my biggest enemy,” said Pajak, who was without an open frame during the final two games on television. “Going into the game with Diandra, I had lost my look, and I couldn’t carry, which shows on the shots where I left a washout and then went high. I was proud of myself and knew I could make all of the spares, so going into the championship game, my confidence was very high.”

In the opening match, Pajak rolled seven consecutive strikes after an early open to defeat Juliana Franco of Colombia, 233-194. Franco was making her second championship-round appearance of the season.

The win earned Pajak $10,000 and a spot in the season-ending Smithfield PWBA Tour Championship, a 16-player invitation-only event that will include the winners and top point-earners from the 2017 PWBA Tour season.

All qualifying and match-play rounds of the PWBA Greater Detroit Open were held at Super Bowl in Canton, Michigan, on June 16-17.

The stepladder was held June 25 at The Ashwaubenon Bowling Alley in conjunction with the live championship round of the 2017 Go Bowling PWBA Players Championship, the second major of the 2017 PWBA Tour season, and the finals of the PWBA Wichita Open and Pepsi PWBA Lincoln Open.

About the PWBA
The Professional Women’s Bowling Association (PWBA) originally was formed in 1960. The PWBA Tour has events throughout the country, offering high-level competition and top prize money for women bowlers. The PWBA is supported by the Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America (BPAA) and the United States Bowling Congress (USBC)

2017 PWBA GREATER DETROIT OPEN
At The Ashwaubenon Bowling Alley, Green Bay, Wis.

Final standings

1, Daria Pajak, Poland, 647 (three games), $10,000
2, Verity Crawley, England, 203 (one game), $5,000
3, Diandra Asbaty, Chicago, 186 (one games), $3,500
4, Juliana Franco, Colombia, 194 (one game), $3,000

Stepladder results

Match One – Pajak def. Franco, 233-194
Semifinal – Pajak def. Asbaty, 190-186
Championship – Pajak def. Crawley, 224-203

CANTON, Mich. – Last season, Verity Crawley of England bowled in her first standard Professional Women’s Bowling Association event as an amateur at the 2016 PWBA Greater Detroit Open and everyone took notice of her strong physical game and immense talent as she rolled to a 10th-place finish.

Now, one year later, as a full-time competitor on the PWBA Tour, Crawley doubled-down on her success in the Motor City by capturing the No. 1 seed for the finals of the 2017 PWBA Greater Detroit Open.

Crawley will be joined by 2012 United States Bowling Congress Queens champion Diandra Asbaty of Chicago (No. 2), Colombia’s Juliana Franco (No. 3 seed) and Daria Pajak of Poland (No. 4). Franco and Pajak advanced after winning their respective group stepladders Saturday.

Qualifying and match play at the 2017 PWBA Greater Detroit Open were held this week at Super Bowl in Canton, Michigan, while the stepladder finals will be taped for broadcast June 25 at The Ashwaubenon Bowling Alley, one of four telecasts at the Go Bowling PWBA Players Championship, the second major of the season.

The show will air Tuesday, July 18, at 8 p.m. Eastern on CBS Sports Network.

Crawley compiled a 4-2 record Saturday and topped the Group B match-play standings with a 5,377 total, which included 30 bonus pins for each win. She shined during the cashers’ round prior to match play, compiling a 1,475 pinfall total for six games (245.83 average) to put her in prime position for match play.

Asbaty led the way in the Group A standings with a 5,326 total and earned the No. 2 seed for the stepladder based on total pinfall for the week, including bonus pins for each win in match play.

Crawley, who will be the No. 2 seed for the PWBA Fountain Valley Open TV show that airs Tuesday, June 20, at 8 p.m. Eastern on CBS Sports Network, has performed admirably as a full-time member on the PWBA Tour, leading all rookies in every statistical category.

Aware of her success last season, she returned to the Motor City focused on the tournament itself, while also dealing with a bowling-related injury.

“It’s just another tournament you take shot by shot,” Crawley said. “But it obviously loosens your swing a little bit knowing you’ve had success in the building. I ripped my thumb last weekend, so I was a little worried coming in this week. But, I practiced in Lincoln, and everything felt good. I wanted to focus on making spares, because last week was terrible. The block this morning was unbelievable. I just focused on staying aggressive.”

At one time, Asbaty was looked upon as the premier player in women’s bowling. She was inducted into the World Bowling Writers Hall of Fame in 2005, won the 2006 QubicaAMF World Cup and garnered several key wins on both domestic and international soil.

So, when the PWBA Tour re-launched in 2015, it was only right to think Asbaty would stake claim to a successful PWBA career especially after winning the USBC Queens in 2012. But, Asbaty has struggled with her bowling since the re-launch, but not as a parent. Her new life as a mother to son, Madden, and daughter, Jersey, has called for different commitments.

After struggling on the lanes in 2016, the 36-year-old right-hander made some changes to her game and is starting to see the results. This week was extra special, as both Madden and Jersey were there to witness their mother’s return to television for the first time since 2012.

“Before I started match play, during practice, I heard Jersey’s little voice in the bleachers saying, ‘Mommy, you’re going to do it,’ Asbaty said. “I almost lost it. It really choked me up. This week, when I looked behind me, I thought, ‘how could I lose?’ I knew coming in these girls are good and they’re working every day, all day, like I did out of college. But, that’s just not my life anymore and that’s ok.

“Last season was hard, and it was not a good year. And, I know why. When I left home to go to every tournament last year, I said to my kids I’m just going to do my best. No matter what I’m going to do my best, and if it doesn’t work out, it’s OK because I’ve done my best. It’s like I was setting myself up to fail. This year, my mindset is different because when I leave them I say I’m going to go win, and I come into every tournament now knowing I can and that’s a big difference.”

Franco advanced after taking down 2017 USBC Queens champion Diana Zavjalova of Latvia, 269-266, in a high scoring Group B stepladder final. After starting with a spare, Zavjalova rattled off six consecutive strikes before a 10 pin ended the string. She picked up where she left off, adding three additional strikes, but left a 3-6-10 on the final shot to finish with 266.

Meanwhile, Franco countered with a six bagger of her own to set up the 10th frame, giving her the opportunity to double to move on.

Celebrating her 23rd birthday, Franco calmly threw the first two strikes, and needing seven pins on her fill ball, rolled a nine count to secure the victory and her second championship round appearance in three weeks.

“I didn’t know I needed seven pins, because I never see the score,” Franco said. “I think it’s better that way, because there’s no additional pressure to make a great shot. This means a lot because I came here to prepare for international tournaments with Colombia, so I’m really happy with what happened today and to make two TV shows is awesome for me.”

Franco advanced to the Group B final after defeating Cassandra Leuthold of Lincoln, Nebraska, 202-193.

Pajak, who also is in contention for PWBA Rookie of the Year, earned her first championship-round appearance by defeating 26-time PWBA titlist and USBC Hall of Famer Leanne Hulsenberg of Pleasant View, Utah, 210-188.

The match was close throughout, but a pocket 7-10 split in the seventh frame for Hulsenberg ultimately was the difference.

She will share the stage with Crawley, her friend, roommate and former collegiate teammate at Webber International.

“It’s been a very good tournament and very special because I don’t know if I would have made it without her support,” Pajak said. “We are very close, and our friendship has been developing for some time. It feels surreal because this is something I’ve been wanting for so long. I kind of felt like I belonged there, but I really had to fight for it. I didn’t realize the mental toll it would take, so I’m just overwhelmed. It was a really good tournament.”

Competition this week at the PWBA Greater Detroit Open included two six-game qualifying blocks Friday to determine the 32 players for Saturday’s cashers’ round.

An additional six-game block Saturday morning narrowed the field from the 32 cashers to 12 players for round-robin match play.

The 2017 PWBA Tour season continues next week with the Go Bowling PWBA Players Championship, the second major of the season, at The Ashwaubenon Bowling Alley in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Go to PWBA.com for more information about the PWBA Tour. Qualifying and match-play rounds of PWBA Tour events are broadcast on Xtra Frame, the exclusive online bowling channel for the Professional Bowlers Association.

PWBA GREATER DETROIT OPEN
At Super Bowl, Canton, Michigan
Saturday’s results

MATCH PLAY- GROUP A
1, Diandra Asbaty, Chicago, 3-3-0, 5,326.
2, Diana Zavjalova, Latvia, 2-4-0, 5,297.
3, Cassandra Leuthold, Lincoln, Neb., 5-1-0, 5,207.
4, Juliana Franco, Colombia, 3-3-0, 5,164.
5, Anggie Ramirez-Perea, Austin, Texas, 3-3-0, 5,150.
6, Karen Marcano, Venezuela, 2-4-0, 5,052.

MATCH PLAY – GROUP B
1, Verity Crawley, England, 4-2-0, 5,377.
2, Leanne Hulsenberg, Pleasant View, Utah, 3-3-0, 5,213.
3, Siti Rahman, Malaysia, 3-3-0, 5,199.
4, Daria Pajak, Poland, 3-3-0, 5,190.
5, Tannya Roumimper, Indonesia, 3-3-0, 5,141.
6, Jen Higgins, Westerville, Ohio, 2-4-0, 5,107.

Group A Stepladder
Semifinal – Franco def. Leuthold, 202-193 (Leuthold finishes tied for seventh, earns $1,900).
Final – Franco def. Zavjalova, 269-266 (Franco earns No. 3 seed for stepladder based on average; Zavjalova finishes tied for fifth, earns $2,100).

Group B Stepladder
Semifinal – Pajak def. Rahman ,199-190 (Rahman finishes tied for seventh, earns $1,900).
Final – Pajak def. Hulsenberg, 210-188 (Pajak earns No. 4 seed for stepladder based on average; Hulsenberg finishes tied for fifth, earns $2,100).

TELEVISED STEPLADDER FINALS
(Will be taped June 25 and will air July 18 on CBS Sports Network)
Match No. 1: (4) Pajak vs. (3) Franco
Match No. 2: (2) Asbaty vs. Match No. 1 winner
Final: (1) Crawley vs. Match No. 2 winner

CASHERS’ ROUND (18-game totals; top 12 advance)

1, Diana Zavjalova, Latvia, 4,103. 2, Verity Crawley, England, 4,084. 3, Diandra Asbaty, Chicago, 4,013. 4, Siti Rahman, Malaysia, 3,924. 5, Anggie Ramirez Perea, Austin, Texas, 3,909. 6, Jen Higgins, Westerville, Ohio, 3,902.
7, Cassandra Leuthold, Lincoln, Neb., 3,897. 8, Daria Pajak, Poland, 3,886. 9, Juliana Franco, Colombia, 3,882. 10, Tannya Roumimper, Indonesia, 3,854. 11, Karen Marcano, Venezuela, 3,844. 12, Leanne Hulsenberg, Pleasant View, Utah, 3,843.

DID NOT ADVANCE

13(tie), Josie Earnest-Barnes, Nashville, Tenn., and Sandra Gongora, Mexico, 3,815, $1,200. 15, Erin McCarthy, Omaha, Neb., 3,805, $1,200. 16, Julie Oczepek, Saginaw, Mich., 3,794, $1,200. 17, Kelly Kulick, Union, N.J., 3,780, $1,200. 18, Rocio Restrepo, Louisville, Ohio, 3,764, $1,200.
19, Liz Johnson, Deerfield, Ill., 3,761, $1,200. 20, Nicole Trudell, Bridgeport, Conn., 3,746, $1,200. 21, Carolyn Dorin-Ballard, Keller, Texas, 3,737, $1,200. 22, Natasha Roslan, Malaysia, 3,716, $1,200. 23, Brittany Himmelreich, Cressona, Pa., 3,713, $1,200. 24, Lynda Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, 3,700, $1,200.
25, Maria Jose Rodriguez, Colombia, 3,678, $1,200. 26, Sydney Brummett (a), Fort Wayne, Ind., 3,669, $1,200. 27, Summer Jasmin, Beckley, W. Va., 3,662, $1,200. 28, Cheryl Daniels (a), West Bloomfield, Mich., 3,640, $1,200. 29, Kayla Bandy, Salisbury, Md., 3,622, $1,200. 30, Shannon Pluhowsky, Dayton, Ohio, 3,618, $1,200.
31, Syaidatul Hamidi, Malaysia, 3,616, $1,200. 32, Brandie Reamy (a), Livonia, Mich., 3,527, $1,200.

Friday’s results

QUALIFYING (12-game totals; top 32 advance)

1, Diana Zavjalova, Latvia, 2,700. 2, Diandra Asbaty, Chicago, 2,660. 3, Siti Rahman, Malaysia, 2,638. 4, Jen Higgins, Westerville, Ohio, 2,630. 5, Sandra Gongora, Mexico, 2,617. 6, Anggie Ramirez-Perea, Austin, Texas, 2,613.
7, Josie Earnest-Barnes, Nashville, Tenn., 2,612. 8, Verity Crawley, England, 2,609. 9, Juliana Franco, Colombia, 2,595. 10, Daria Pajak, Poland, 2,579. 11, Cassandra Leuthold, Lincoln, Neb., 2,572. 12, Karen Marcano, Venezuela, 2,564.
13, Liz Johnson, Deerfield, Ill., 2,558. 14, Natasha Roslan, Malaysia, 2,556. 15, Brittany Himmelreich, Cressona, Pa., 2,535. 16(tie), Kelly Kulick, Union, N.J., and Julie Oczepek, Saginaw, Mich., 2,534. 18, Syaidatul Hamidi, Malaysia, 2,530.
19, Nicole Trudell, Bridgeport, Conn., 2,524. 20, Erin McCarthy, Omaha, Neb., 2,523. 21, Tannya Roumimper, Indonesia, 2,502. 22, Summer Jasmin, Beckley, W. Va., 2,501. 23, Brandie Reamy (a), Livonia, Mich., 2,489. 24, Leanne Hulsenberg, Pleasant View, Utah, 2,485.
25, Carolyn Dorin-Ballard, Keller, Texas, 2,484. 26, Sydney Brummett (a), Fort Wayne, Ind., 2,482. 27, Maria Jose Rodriguez, Colombia, 2,480. 28, Shannon Pluhowsky, Dayton, Ohio, 2,477. 29, Cheryl Daniels (a), West Bloomfield, Mich., 2,462. 30, Rocio Restrepo, Louisville, Ohio, 2,460.
31, Kayla Bandy, Salisbury, Md., 2,458. 32, Lynda Barnes, Double Oak, Texas, 2,452.

DID NOT ADVANCE

33, Amanda Greene, Romney, W. Va., 2,447, $800. 34, Sierra Kanemoto (a), Riverside, Ohio, 2,446, $800. 35, Brittany Smith, Johnston, Iowa, 2,438, $800. 36, Li Jane Sin, Malaysia, 2,432, $800.
37, Katie Zwiefelhofer, Racine, Wis., 2,422. 38, Brittany Ferrara (a), Hubbard, Ohio, 2,413. 39, Ashly Galante, Palm Harbor, Fla., 2,412. 40, Danielle McEwan, Stony Point, N.Y., 2,410. 41(tie), Melissa Klug, The Villages, Fla., Megan Kelly, Dayton, Ohio, and Natalie Miskiel (a), Toledo, Ohio, 2,402.
44(tie), Daria Kovalova, Ukraine, and Melissa Van Dyke (a), Parma, Ohio, 2,396. 46, Shannon O’Keefe, O’Fallon, Ill., 2,386. 47, Nicole Bower (a), Camp Hill, Pa., 2,385. 48(tie), Jerracah Heibel, Indianapolis, and Liz Kuhlkin, Schenectady, N.Y., 2,382.
50, Sabrena Divis, Gillette, Wyo., 2,369. 51, Katie Ann Sopp, White Bear Lake, Minn., 2,366. 52(tie), Brandi Branka, Fairview Heights, Ill., and Elise Bolton, Merritt Island, Fla., 2,363. 54, Johanna Puentes (a), Colombia, 2,357.
55, Ashley Purkey, Godfrey, Ill., 2,356. 56, Clara Guerrero, Colombia, 2,354. 57, Giselle Poss, Montgomery, Ill., 2,343. 58, Marissa Thomas (a), Louisville, Ky., 2,342. 59, Jodi Gawlik, Schaumburg, Ill., 2,333. 60, Jennifer Russo (a), Monmouth Jct., N.J., 2,330.
61, Missy Parkin, Laguna Hills, Calif., 2,326. 62, Esther Cheah, Malaysia, 2,325. 63, Rachael Delserone (a), North Ridgeville, Ohio, 2,323. 64, Amanda Fry, Antelope, Calif., 2,316. 65(tie), Kristina Szczerbinski, North Tonawanda, N.Y., and Jenna Law (a), Milford, Mich., 2,314.
67, Jodi Woessner, Oregon, Ohio, 2,307. 68, Stephanie Martins, Brazil, 2,295. 69, Samantha Kelly, Waukesha, Wis., 2,291. 70, Bryanna Cote, Red Rock, Ariz., 2,286. 71(tie), Brianna Andrew (a), Orland Park, Ill., and Shalin Zulkifli, Malaysia, 2,285.
73(tie), Nichole DePaul-Miller, Baytown, Texas, and Sarah Muench, Johnston, Iowa, and Tara Quinlan (a), Streamwood, Ill., 2,280. 76, Kayla Pashina, Minnetonka, Minn., 2,276. 77, Ingellimar Beasley, Clarksville, Tenn., 2,273. 78, Miranda Panas, Canada, 2,267.
79, Brooke Bower, Camp Hill, Pa., 2,266. 80, Allie Ijams, Wichita, Kan., 2,254. 81, Lindsey Furnas, Dayton, Ohio, 2,248. 82, Andrea Behr (a), Kettering, Ohio, 2,247. 83, Joely O’Grady (a), Matawan, N.J., 2,241.
84(tie), Chenoa Rhoades (a), Wichita, Kan., and Rachael Albright (a), Cleveland, Ohio, 2,240. 86, Natalie Cortese, Hoffman Estates, Ill., 2,238. 87, Bree Macpherson, New South Wales, Australia, 2,236. 88, Sarah Rhodes (a), Sparta, N.J., 2,228. 89, Rachael Ritzinger (a), Stow, Ohio, 2,218. 90, Ann Coleman (a), Fairborn, Ohio, 2,199.
91, Natalie Goodman, O’Fallon, Ill., 2,185. 92, Kalynn Carl, Albany, N.Y., 2,170. 93, Sheri Verespej, Monroe, Mich., 2,164. 94, Haley Lundy (a), Canada, 2,152. 95, Christine Johnston, Canada, 2,142. 96, Marion Singleton, Lockport, N.Y., 2,139.
97, Chelsie Bahr (a), Topeka, Kan., 2,131. 98, Jaclyn Meldrum (a), China, Mich., 2,121. 99, Sara Schulz (a), Novi, Mich., 2,116. 100, Meghan Macunovich (a), Canton, Mich., 2,094. 101, Jackie Rhoda (a), Portage, Ind., 2,090. 102, Alyssa Estep (a), Harrison, Ohio, 2,084.
103, Donna Zellar, Flint, Mich., 2,077. 104, Emily Harrison, Mason, Ohio, 2,070. 105, Leslie Brown (a), Commerce, Mich., 2,063. 106, Tamesha Green (a), Fort Wayne, Ind., 2,014. 107, Megan McGinley, Cinnaminson, N.J., 1,977.