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ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. – Bryanna Coté of Tucson, Arizona, was in full control as she climbed the ladder in dominating fashion to claim her third career Professional Women’s Bowling Association Tour title Sunday. The reigning PWBA Player of the Year defeated Danielle McEwan of Stony Point, New York, 212-152, to win the PWBA BVL Classic at Maple Lanes. Coté earned $10,000 for the win, which was her first of the 2022 PWBA Tour season. The BVL Classic was broadcast live on CBS Sports Network. Coté, the No. 4 seed, entered the title match on a roll after tossing games of 289, 243 and 278 for an 810 series. She continued the strong start against McEwan, striking in three of the first five frames, while McEwan opened with two single-pin spares, a strike and an additional single-pin spare. But, the fifth frame foreshadowed the rest of the match for McEwan as she left a 7-10 split to trail by 23 pins after five frames. For the first time Sunday, Coté couldn’t put together three consecutive strikes and settled for spares in the sixth, seventh and eighth frames to hold a 21-pin lead. McEwan, working on a strike in the seventh, had a chance to take the lead but left back-to-back 7-10 splits in the eighth and ninth frames, which sealed the win for Coté. Coté was making her fourth championship-round appearance in the last five events, and the fourth time proved to be the charm. “It feels relieving and amazing,” said Coté, a seven-time Team USA member. “In my interview for TV today I said, ‘You have to learn to bowl on TV.’ I think I had to learn how to bowl on TV again. I was fortunate enough to win my first time on TV in 2016, and winning on BowlTV last year. It’s just steppingstones of learning to make good shots, learning to win matches and then finally being able to make the shots when they count. And, stick to a simple game plan, and that’s what I did today and it paid off.” The 36-year-old right-hander looked similar in her runner-up finish at the recent St. Petersburg-Clearwater Open. She was in control during the first three matches before losing her ball reaction against top qualifier Breanna Clemmer of Clover, South Carolina. The outcome was certainly different today as Coté had a better understanding of how the lanes might play as the matches continued. “I think I had a better handle on the pair as it transitioned,” Coté said. “In St. Pete, I felt the lanes really transitioned quickly in the championship match against Bre, so it kind of got away from me. I couldn’t play catch up quick enough, and she bowled phenomenal. I was fortunate enough to be on top of my moves today and know what the game plan was if I saw something different. Today, it was simply to control the pocket, make your spares and hope they fall.” At the season-opening Rockford Open, Coté missed the cut. It was her first event as the reigning player of the year, and she admitted that maybe her “emotions got the best of her” after “having some expectations that she didn’t see coming.” She regrouped quickly at the United States Bowling Congress Queens, and despite being eliminated earlier than she would’ve liked (tied for 17th), it was a quick turning point for the season. Following the first major, Coté began her streak of three consecutive championship-round appearances and four appearances in five events. Her finishes during that span include a fourth-place finish at the Twin Cities Open and back-to-back runner-up finishes at the St. Petersburg-Clearwater Open and Long Island Classic, respectively. “I told myself not to think about that,” said Coté, referencing the unnecessary expectations she placed on herself after winning the 2021 PWBA Player of the Year award. “‘You’re still you. You still go out there and still be consistent. You hit the pocket and you make your spares. Last year is done. This is a completely new year, and you need to just be yourself and bowl. “It started to turn around at the Queens. I felt like I got knocked out early, but I bowled well and started to build the momentum for the rest of the season. I just kept riding the wave and stuck to my game plan, being me, and not thinking about what could be or what was.” In the semifinal match, Coté defeated two-time PWBA Player of the Year Shannon O’Keefe of Shiloh, Illinois, 278-224. Coté started the match with eight consecutive strikes before a 10 pin ended her run at the $10,000 bonus from GoBowling.com for a perfect game. O’Keefe was looking for her 16th career PWBA title. In Match 2, Coté knocked off Stefanie Johnson of McKinney, Texas, 243-166. Another strong start from Coté combined with some late-match struggles on the right lane for Johnson was the difference. Johnson was searching for her fifth career PWBA title. In the opening match, Coté began with a conversion of the 4 pin before connecting for 10 consecutive strikes to defeat Latvia’s Diana Zavjalova, 289-202. Zavjalova was looking for her fifth career title. The BVL Classic was the third and final event of the Long Island Classic Series, which also included the Long Island Classic and BowlTV Classic. Liz Kuhlkin of Schenectady, New York, and Singapore’s Cherie Tan each won their third career PWBA titles at the Long Island and BowlTV Classic, respectively. The Long Island Classic and BowlTV Classic featured the same format. Each event featured 12 games of qualifying to determine the top 12 players for round-robin match play. At the conclusion of match play, the top five athletes, based on total pinfall and bonus pins, advanced to the stepladder finals. The top 24 athletes based on their combined qualifying totals for the Long Island Classic and BowlTV Classic (24 games) determined the advancers to the BVL Classic. Pinfall dropped at the beginning of the BVL Classic, with all advancers bowling three eight-game blocks of round-robin match play Saturday and Sunday. The top five competitors, based on total pinfall and bonus pins, advanced to the stepladder finals. The PWBA Tour heads to upstate New York and South Glens Falls for the U.S. Women’s Open. The event will be held at Kingpin’s Alley Family Fun Center. Josie Barnes of Hermitage, Tennessee, is the defending champion. For more information on the PWBA, visit PWBA.com. 2022 PWBA Long Island Classic Sunday’s results FINAL STANDINGS 1, Bryanna Coté, Tucson, Ariz., 1,022 (four games), $10,000. 2, Danielle McEwan, Stony Point, N.Y., 152 (one game), $5,000. 3, Shannon O’Keefe, Shiloh, Ill., 224 (one game), $3,500. 4, Stefanie Johnson, McKinney, Texas, 166 (one game), $2,500. 5, Diana Zavjalova, Latvia, 202 (one game), $2,000.
STEPLADDER RESULTS Match No. 1 – Coté def. Zavjalova, 289-202. Semifinal – Coté def. O’Keefe, 278-224. Championship – Coté def. McEwan, 212-152.
MATCH PLAY (24 games, 30 bonus pins for a win, 15 bonus pins for a tie)
DID NOT ADVANCE 13, Sandra Gongora, Mexico, 11-11-2, 5,524, $1,450. 14, Cajsa Wegner, Sweden, 11-13-0, 5,485, $1,450. 15, Josie Barnes, Hermitage, Tenn., 12-12-0, 5,469, $1,450. 16, Maria Bulanova, Russia, 12-11-1, 5,423, $1,450. 17, Julia Bond, Aurora, Ill., 12-12-0, 5,421, $1,450. 18, Liz Johnson, Niagara Falls, N.Y., 10-14-0, 5,408, $1,450. 19, New Hui Fen, Singapore, 12-12-0, 5,355, $1,450. 20, Dasha Kovalova, Ukraine, 9-15-0, 5,231, $1,450. 21, Lauren Pate, Ballwin, Mo., 9-15-0, 5,191, $1,450. 22, Sydney Brummett, Fort Wayne, Ind., 6-17-1, 5,095, $1,450. 23, Daphne Tan, Singapore, 6-18-0, 5,087, $1,450. 24, Marcia Kloempken (n), Pleasant View, Utah, 5-19-0, 4,880, $1,450. |
CRAWLEY CHASES DOWN LEAD AT 2022 PWBA BVL CLASSIC
By Emil Williams Jr.
ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. – England’s Verity Crawley jumped from 10th to first and has the lead following two rounds of match play at the 2022 Professional Women’s Bowling Association BVL Classic.
Crawley posted a 10-5-1 record Friday to finish with a 3,960 total, including bonus pins for each win or tie. She fired the tournament’s first 300 game en route to the highest eight-game block of Round 2 (1,894) to help claim the lead.
She’s followed in the standings by Mexico’s Sandra Gongora (3,927), Danielle McEwan of Stony Point, New York (3,911), Colombia’s Maria José Rodriguez (3,878) and Jordan Richard of Maumee, Ohio (3,831).
The 24 athletes who qualified for the BVL Classic will return to the Maple Lanes on Sunday for a final eight-game round of match play on BowlTV.com, with the top five competitors advancing to the stepladder finals.
The stepladder of the BVL Classic will be broadcast live Sunday at 5 p.m. Eastern on CBS Sports Network, with the champion claiming the $10,000 top prize.
The 43-foot BVL Classic oil pattern is producing higher scores in comparison to the previous two events, and Crawley was able to find her comfort zone early and settle in during the evening block.
“Tonight’s motto for me was more strikes in less shots,” said Crawley, who won the 2021 Greater Nashville Open. “I have a very painful finger at the moment. So for me, it was kind of one of those where I got really comfortable and felt like I could finally play to my ‘A’ game. I really just wanted to take advantage of that, make the best shots I could and it was just really nice to be able to bowl and fully be myself.”
Crawley is nursing an injury to her right middle finger, which has provided its fair share of pain, including during Saturday’s morning round, where she finished in 10th place. Like all great athletes, the 27-year-old right-hander is doing everything she can to relieve pain and increase her chances of scoring well, despite the pain and other mental and physical fatigue from the amount of games bowled this week.
“Well, so far I’ve spent most of my downtime at CVS buying whatever I can to try and relieve some pain,” Crawley said. “But, tonight, it’s rest as much as possible. It’s really difficult on our bodies with this schedule. My body feels great apart from my finger. So that’s kind of what’s difficult, right? It feels like such a tiny issue. Yet it bothers me so much. And that’s what’s so frustrating, because the rest of my body feels pretty good. I feel like I’ve worked hard enough in the offseason to where I feel strong enough to be able to handle this amount of games.”
The top 24 athletes based on their combined qualifying totals for the Long Island Classic and BowlTV Classic (24 games) advanced to the BVL Classic.
Liz Kuhlkin of Schenectady, New York, won her third career title at the Long Island Classic on Wednesday, defeating Bryanna Coté in the championship match, 192-190. Singapore’s Cherie Tan also won her third career PWBA title at the BowlTV Classic, defeating Colombia’s Clara Guerrero, 237-213.
Pinfall dropped at the beginning of the BVL Classic, with advancers bowling three eight-game blocks of round-robin match play Saturday and Sunday.For more information on the PWBA, visit PWBA.com.
2022 PWBA BowlTV Classic
At Maple Lanes
Rockville Centre, N.Y.
Saturday’s results
MATCH PLAY
(16 games, 30 bonus pins for a win, 15 bonus pins for a tie)
1, Verity Crawley, England, 10-5-1, 3,960. 2, Sandra Gongora, Mexico, 11-4-1, 3,927. 3, Danielle McEwan, Stony Point, N.Y., 9-6-1, 3,911. 4, Maria José Rodriguez, Colombia, 10-6-0, 3,878. 5, Jordan Richard, Maumee, Ohio, 10-6-0, 3,831. 6, Stefanie Johnson, McKinney, Texas, 10-6-0, 3,828.
7, Bryanna Coté, Tucson, Ariz., 12-4-0, 3,824. 8, Shannon O’Keefe, Shiloh, Ill., 7-9-0, 3,811. 9, Missy Parkin, San Clemente, Calif., 10-6-0, 3,787. 10, Lindsay Boomershine, Brigham City, Utah, 8-8-0, 3,746. 11, Diana Zavjalova, Latvia, 9-7-0, 3,717. 12, Clara Guerrero, Colombia, 8-8-0, 3,670.
13, Josie Barnes, Hermitage, Tenn., 8-8-0, 3,660. 14, Shalin Zulkifli, Malaysia, 9-7-0, 3,657. 15, Cajsa Wegner, Sweden, 6-10-0, 3,635. 16, Dasha Kovalova, Ukraine, 8-8-0, 3,590. 17, New Hui Fen, Singapore, 9-7-0, 3,576. 18, Julia Bond, Aurora, Ill., 6-10-0, 3,513.
19, Maria Bulanova, Russia, 9-7-0, 3,501. 20, Lauren Pate, Ballwin, Mo., 6-10-0, 3,482. 21, Liz Johnson, Niagara Falls, N.Y., 3-13-0, 3,429. 22, Sydney Brummett, Fort Wayne, Ind., 5-10-1, 3,413. 23, Daphne Tan, Singapore, 4-12-0, 3,391. 24, Marcia Kloempken (n), Pleasant View, Utah, 3-13-0, 3,246.