MEAC Tournament Bracket

CHESAPEAKE, Va. – The No. 18-ranked Norfolk State bowling team will enter Saturday's bracket round as the No. 6 seed following Friday's qualifying action during the opening day of the MEAC Championship at the AMF Lanes in Chesapeake.
 
The eight teams that comprise the tournament competed in traditional play to determine seeding for Saturday. NSU finished with a 2-3 record on Friday with a total pinfall of 4,323. The Spartans were 23 pins behind Bethune-Cookman, which ended the day in fifth.
 
NSU will take on No. 3 seed Delaware State on Saturday at 9 a.m. in Baker play to start the double-elimination bracket round. Win or lose, the Spartans will then compete at 10:40 a.m. Their results in those first two matches will determine if and when they will play later in the day.
 
The Spartans dropped their first three matches to start the tournament but rebounded to win the last two. The day started with an 877-818 loss to No. 17-ranked Delaware State, followed by a setback to ninth-ranked UMES, 968-837. Howard bowled well in a 999-861 victory over NSU in the third match.
 
NSU closed out the day with victories over Morgan State, 938-828, and Bethune-Cookman, 869-809.
 
The Spartans mixed and matched lineups throughout the opening round. Senior Courtney Williford competed in three games and averaged 191.0, while fellow senior Kelsea Yarbrough posted a 181.5 average in four games.
 
Senior Delilah Bethel (178.8 average) and Junior Carrie Hickey (172.2) each bowled in all five games. Senior Courtney Brown competed in all five games as well, while senior Ashley Buck and freshman Briana Gardner combined to compete in three games.
 
UMES earned the top seed on Friday thanks to a total pinfall of 4,867. North Carolina A&T came in second despite being the only team to go 5-0 on the day. Delaware State and Howard finished as the third and fourth seeds, respectively. Morgan State (No. 7) and Florida A&M (No. 8) rounded out the standings.
 
For more information about the tournament, visit www.meacsports.com.