COTÉ COLLECTS SECOND WIN OF 2022 AT PWBA DALLAS CLASSIC

COTÉ COLLECTS SECOND WIN OF 2022 AT PWBA DALLAS CLASSIC

DALLAS – Bryanna Coté of Tucson, Arizona, trusted her judgment and stayed patient on a demanding oil pattern to secure her second title of the 2022 Professional Women’s Bowling Association Tour season Thursday at the PWBA Dallas Classic.

The 2021 PWBA Player of the Year defeated Germany’s Birgit Noreiks in the title match at USA Bowl, 200-186, to record the win live on BowlTV and earn the $10,000 top prize. Noreiks earned $5,000 for the runner-up finish.

Coté entered Thursday’s stepladder finals as the top seed after posting a 9-3 record in match play on the 36-foot oil pattern being used at the Dallas Classic. The 36-year-old right-hander also was the top qualifier at the event.

Although she led the tournament by more than 100 pins after 24 games, Coté started the title match with a bowling ball she had not used during the event. The decision helped her claim her fourth career PWBA Tour title.

“Something told me to try this one from way in on the practice pair to see if it did the right things, and it did,” Coté said. “It was one of those gut feelings, and you can’t be afraid to make those decisions. Sometimes it pays off and sometimes it doesn’t, but I think you learn more about yourself if you make those decisions, commit to it and see what happens.”

Coté’s run in the title match started slow, as she was unable to strike in her first six frames, which included a 2-8-10 split and open frame in the second. Noreiks, who had won her first three matches in the stepladder to advance, also had an open in the second and no strikes through four frames.

Noreiks doubled in the fifth and sixth frames to take the lead, and the three-time PWBA Tour champion made it three in a row with a Brooklyn strike in the seventh.

Even though the strikes had not fallen for Coté, she felt her game plan was in place and was happy to be executing well and filling frames.

“The left lane looked really tricky, but I finally got to a position where I felt pretty confident on both lanes,” said Coté, who made her fifth championship-round appearance of 2022. “I knew I could hit the pocket, and it was going to be whether or not the pins would carry. I made my spares, and because of how hard they were, that helped keep me in the game.”

The patience with the new ball paid off for Coté in the seventh as she started her own string of three consecutive strikes to even the match and set up the final frame.

A spare in the ninth frame from Noreiks meant Coté could not be shut out. Noreiks followed with a 4-6-7 split and open in the 10th, allowing Coté the opportunity to collect the win with a nine count on her next delivery. She toppled nine pins, leaving the 10 pin standing, to secure the first of three tournaments at the Dallas Classic Series.

The Dallas Classic Series includes the final three events of the 2022 season – Dallas Classic, PWBA Pepsi Classic and PWBA Tour Championship. The Pepsi Classic is taking place Aug. 5-6, and the Tour Championship, the third major of the year, will be Aug. 7-9.

Coté became the first athlete to win multiple titles in the 2022 season with her victory Thursday. Her first win of the year took place at the PWBA BVL Classic in June.

The win marks the first time she has won two titles in a season, but the ability to navigate the challenging lane conditions as the top seed is the biggest thing she’ll take forward for the rest of the week at USA Bowl.

“You can watch as much as you want, but there’s so much that happens to the lanes,” said Coté, who finished as the runner-up at the 2022 PWBA Long Island Classic after earning the top seed. “You really get a lot of information in those first couple matches, and I think winning from the No. 1 seed is pretty difficult. Winning twice during the same season also is very difficult on tour, so being able to tackle both of those in one shot really gives me a boost of confidence, knowing I can make 10 really good shots when they’re tough. But, I have to switch gears for the second event. I have a long week ahead, and a major at the end of the week that I’m looking forward to.”

Noreiks, the 2022 United States Bowling Congress Queens champion, advanced to the title match with a win over Shannon O’Keefe of Shiloh, Illinois, 193-147. Noreiks stayed clean during the semifinal, while four splits slowed down O’Keefe, who was looking for her second win of 2022 and 16th career title.

Noreiks posted a 268-225 win over seven-time PWBA Tour champion Danielle McEwan of Stony Point, New York, for her second victory in the stepladder. Noreiks struck on nine of her first 10 deliveries.

Thursday’s opening match came down to the final frame as Noreiks faced Colombia’s Clara Guerrero. Noreiks rolled three strikes in her 10th frame to force Guerrero, the 2016 PWBA Players Championship winner, to strike on her first delivery for the opportunity to advance. Guerrero left a 10 pin, however, to finish fifth, 195-190.

The Dallas Classic featured 12 games of qualifying Wednesday to determine the top 12 players for round-robin match play Thursday. Total pinfall, including bonus pins, for 24 games determined the five finalists for the stepladder.

Competition at USA Bowl will continue Friday at 11 a.m. Eastern for the Pepsi Classic. The Pepsi Classic will feature the same format, with the finals taking place Saturday on BowlTV at 8 p.m. Eastern.

The combined qualifying totals for the Dallas Classic and Pepsi Classic (24 games) will determine the 24 athletes advancing to the Tour Championship.

Pinfall will drop at the beginning of the Tour Championship, with all advancers bowling three eight-game blocks of round-robin match play Sunday and Monday. The top five athletes, based on total pinfall and bonus pins, will advance to Tuesday’s stepladder finals.

The finals of the Tour Championship will be broadcast Tuesday at 7 p.m. Eastern on CBS Sports Network. The winner will earn the $50,000 top prize.

To learn more about the PWBA Tour, visit PWBA.com.

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).

2022 PWBA Dallas Classic
At USA Bowl
Dallas

Thursday’s results

FINAL STANDINGS
1, Bryanna Coté, Tucson, Ariz., 200 (one game), $10,000.
2, Birgit Noreiks, Germany, 842 (four games), $5,000.
3, Shannon O’Keefe, Shiloh, Ill., 147 (one game), $3,500.
4, Danielle McEwan, Stony Point, N.Y., 225 (one game), $2,500.
5, Clara Guerrero, Colombia, 190 (one game), $2,000.

STEPLADDER RESULTS
Match No. 1 – Noreiks def. Guerrero, 195-190.
Match No. 2 – Noreiks def. McEwan, 268-225.
Semifinal – Noreiks def. O’Keefe, 193-147.
Championship – Coté def. Noreiks, 200-186.

MATCH PLAY
(24 games, 30 bonus pins for a win, 15 bonus pins for a tie)

1, Bryanna Coté, Tucson, Ariz., 9-3-0, 5,288. 2, Shannon O’Keefe, Shiloh, Ill., 7-5-0, 5,181. 3, Danielle McEwan, Stony Point, N.Y., 7-5-0, 5,098. 4, Birgit Noreiks, Germany, 7-5-0, 5,068. 5, Clara Guerrero, Colombia, 7-5-0, 5,020.

DID NOT ADVANCE

6, Shannon Pluhowsky, Dayton, Ohio, 6-6-0, 5,001, $1,750. 7, Jillian Martin (n), Stow, Ohio, 7-5-0, 4,978, $1,650. 8, Rocio Restrepo, Uniontown, Ohio, 5-7-0, 4,938, $1,600. 9, Brandi Kordelewski, Belleville, Ill., 6-6-0, 4,880, $1,550. 10, Stefanie Johnson, McKinney, Texas, 6-6-0, 4,866, $1,500. 11, Dasha Kovalova, Ukraine, 2-10-0, 4,863, $1,450. 12, Stephanie Zavala, Downey, Calif., 3-9-0, 4,828, $1,400.

COTÉ CHARGES TO TOP SPOT IN QUALIFYING AT 2022 PWBA DALLAS CLASSIC

DALLAS – For the second consecutive year, Bryanna Coté of Tucson, Arizona, has made an early impact at the final Classic Series of the Professional Women’s Bowling Association season and leads after qualifying at the PWBA Dallas Classic.

The 2021 PWBA Player of the Year moved to the top of the standings in the second to last game Wednesday at USA Bowl and finished her 12-game block with a 2,590 total, a 215.83 average.

Shannon Pluhowsky of Dayton, Ohio, was second with a 2,507 total, and opening-round leader Birgit Noreiks of Germany finished third with 2,502. Colombia’s Clara Guerrero (2,472) and Jillian Martin of Stow, Ohio (2,448), followed next in the standings.

The top 12 athletes from the 83-player field advanced to match play at the Dallas Classic, which features a pair of six-game match-play rounds that start Thursday at 10 a.m. Eastern. Total pinfall, including bonus pins for wins in match play, will determine the five finalists for Thursday’s stepladder finals.

All rounds of competition at the Dallas Classic will be broadcast live at BowlTV.com. The stepladder will air at 8 p.m. Eastern, and the champion will take home $10,000.

The final qualifying spot went to two-time PWBA Player of the Year Shannon O’Keefe of Shiloh, Illinois. She finished with a 2,418 total, a 201.5 average, to edge Japan’s Suzuna Miyagi by a single pin.

Coté was sixth after Wednesday’s opening block with a six-game score of 1,231 but felt like she had left a couple pins behind due to execution on the demanding 36-foot oil pattern.

The three-time PWBA Tour champion regrouped for the second block and stayed on top of her moves, firing a 1,359 total to take over the lead.

“My execution was about 80% during the first block, and I knew I lost some pins on a couple of bad shots,” said Coté, who won the PWBA BVL Open in June. “It was a little frustrating, because I saw the picture pretty clearly. It was just a matter of getting it there.

“For my second set, I didn’t miss any makeable spares. If I saw my ball do something, I was really on top of the moves. When I got to a pair where it hooked more, I jumped a zone left. If it went too long, I made sure I went farther right or was softer with my hand. I stuck to my game plan, and it worked. I was able to use one ball and as I kept chasing it left, it kept doing the right thing. I just had to execute.”

Coté entered this week’s Classic Series in third place on the season-long points list, which determines the athlete that earns PWBA Player of the Year honors for the year. She has accumulated 66,415 points and trails O’Keefe (79,250) and Danielle McEwan of Stony Point, New York (70,835).

McEwan also made match play at the Dallas Classic after finishing qualifying in 10th place with a 2,423 total.

At last year’s Fall Classic Series in Reno, Nevada, Coté was outside of the top seven in points heading into the final three events at the National Bowling Stadium. A quick start and runner-up finish at the first tournament – the PWBA Reno Classic – helped push her into the mix for the postseason award.

She earned the top seed and finished second at the 2021 Tour Championship to secure player-of-the-year honors for the first time in her career.

Although there may be some parallels from 2021 to 2022 through the first day of competition, she’s not getting too far ahead of herself and plans to keep her focus set on the things she can control.

“I was a little hesitant about this pattern during the practice session, because I didn’t have the greatest look,” Coté said. “I drilled three balls for this pattern, because I felt like something was missing and I wasn’t seeing it clearly in practice. Today, something clicked, and I just went with it. To have a good start is a relief, since playing catch up is not ideal, but it’s still a long week. There are a lot of games to be bowled, so I’m just looking to take it one shot and one frame at a time. If I look ahead, bad things can happen.”

The Dallas Classic and Pepsi Classic will feature the same format. The finals of the Pepsi Classic also will air on BowlTV. The stepladder will be Saturday at 8 p.m. Eastern.

The combined qualifying totals for the Dallas Classic and Pepsi Classic (24 games) will determine the 24 athletes advancing to the Tour Championship.

Pinfall will drop at the beginning of the Tour Championship, with all advancers bowling three eight-game blocks of round-robin match play Sunday and Monday. The top five competitors, based on total pinfall and bonus pins, will advance to Tuesday’s stepladder finals.

The finals of the Tour Championship will be broadcast Tuesday at 7 p.m. Eastern on CBS Sports Network, with the winner earning the $50,000 top prize.

To learn more about the PWBA Tour, visit PWBA.com.

2022 PWBA Dallas Classic
At USA Bowl
Dallas

Wednesday’s Results

1, Bryanna Coté, Tucson, Ariz., 2,590. 2, Shannon Pluhowsky, Dayton, Ohio, 2,507. 3, Birgit Noreiks, Germany, 2,502. 4, Clara Guerrero, Colombia, 2,472. 5, Jillian Martin (n), Stow, Ohio, 2,448. 6, Dasha Kovalova, Ukraine, 2,446.

7, Stephanie Zavala, Downey, Calif., 2,443. 8, Stefanie Johnson, McKinney, Texas, 2,435. 9, Brandi Kordelewski, Belleville, Ill., 2,425. 10, Danielle McEwan, Stony Point, N.Y., 2,423. 11, Rocio Restrepo, Uniontown, Ohio, 2,420. 12, Shannon O’Keefe, Shiloh, Ill., 2,418.

DID NOT ADVANCE

13, Suzuna Miyagi, Japan, 2,417, $1,200. 14, Taylor Bulthuis, New Port Richey, Fla., 2,396, $1,200. 15, Lindsay Boomershine, Brigham City, Utah, 2,395, $1,200. 16, Jordan Richard, Maumee, Ohio, 2,394, $1,200. 17, Brianna Andrew, Grand Rapids, Mich., 2,384, $1,200. 18, Stephanie Schwartz, Racine, Wis., 2,371, $1,200.

19, Breanna Clemmer, Clover, S.C., 2,364, $1,200. 20, Verity Crawley, England, 2,356, $1,200. 21, Laura Plazas (n), Bogota, 2,350, $1,200. 22, Felicia Wong, Canada, 2,346, $1,200. 23(tie), Kayla Pashina, Otsego, Minn., and Daria Pajak, Poland, 2,343, $1,200.

25, Kara Mangiola, Spencerport, N.Y., 2,341, $1,200. 26, Justyne Vukovich, New Stanton, Pa., 2,336, $1,200. 27, Diana Zavjalova, Latvia, 2,334, $1,200. 28, Kayla Smith (n), Salem, Ill., 2,333, $1,200. 29, Liz Johnson, Niagara Falls, N.Y., 2,331. 30, Taylor Bailey, Jonesboro, Ark., 2,328.

31, Lauren Tomaszewski (n), Wylie, Texas, 2,324. 32, Kayla Crawford, Silvis, Ill., 2,322. 33, Kelly Kulick, Union, N.J., 2,321. 34(tie), Lauren Pate, Ballwin, Mo., and Jen Higgins, Lewis Center, Ohio, 2,317. 36, Jessica Earnest, Hermitage, Tenn., 2,315.

37, Ana Morales, Guatemala, 2,312. 38, Sydney Brummett, Fort Wayne, Ind., 2,304. 39, Courtney Ermisch, Big Bend, Wis., 2,303. 40, Maria José Rodriguez, Colombia, 2,299. 41, Hope Gramly (n), Aubrey, Texas, 2,297. 42, Haley Richard, Tipton, Mich., 2,294.

43, Shannon Sellens (n), Long Beach, N.Y., 2,293. 44, Gazmine Mason, Cranston, R.I., 2,284. 45, Annalise O’Bryant (n), Ball Ground, Ga., 2,280. 46, Samantha Kriner, Houston, Texas, 2,273. 47, Sandra Gongora, Mexico, 2,264. 48(tie), Marissa Allison, Sylvania, Ohio, and Allie Leiendecker (n), Ruston, La., 2,263.
50, Erin McCarthy, Elkhorn, Neb., 2,261. 51, Jodi Woessner, Oregon, Ohio, 2,251. 52(tie), Kaylene Bishop, Medical Lake, Wash., and Olivia Farwell, Elizabethtown, Pa., 2,242. 54, Kayla Bandy, Wichita, Kan., 2,236.

55, Amanda Broege (n), Ronkonkoma, N.Y., 2,224. 56, Jasmine Snell (n), Papillion, Neb., 2,220. 57, Josie Barnes, Hermitage, Tenn., 2,209. 58(tie), Liz Kuhlkin, Schenectady, N.Y., Keondra Eaton (n), Baton Rouge, La., and Tannya Lopez, Mexico, 2,208.

61, Ashly Galante, Palm Harbor, Fla., 2,204. 62, Melanie McDaniel, Joliet, Ill., 2,191. 63, Kasey Eaton (n), Wyoming, Mich., 2,182. 64(tie), Mary Orf (n), St. Louis, and Julia Bond, Aurora, Ill., 2,175. 66, Summer Jasmin, Beckley, W.Va., 2,170.

67, Patricia Rosales (n), Orlando, Fla., 2,169. 68, Jennifer Hocurscak, Orange, Conn., 2,166. 69, Edith Quintanilla (n), El Salvador, 2,159. 70, Maria Bulanova, Russia, 2,150. 71, Emma Grace Dockery (n), Kent, Ohio, 2,145. 72, Jennifer Russo, Monmouth Junction, N.J., 2,144.

73, Sofia Rodriguez Granda (n), Guatemala, 2,140. 74, Heather D’Errico, Rochester, N.Y., 2,139. 75, Mallory Clark, Auburn, Maine, 2,136. 76, Kelsi Anderson (n), San Antonio, 2,130. 77, Mari Gallegos (n), Chicago, 2,113. 78, Bella Castillo (n), Odessa, Texas, 2,107.

79, Amber Brunson (n), Miami, Fla., 2,010. 80, Adrienne Kissane, Anderson, Ind., 2,005. 81, Nicole Loeffler (n), Sedwick, Kan., 1,954. 82, Cassandra Bayerl (n), Burleson, Texas, 1,878. 83, Lisa Timm, Auburn, Ill., 1,829.