Chesapeake, Va.-The North Carolina A&T bowling team had a strong start in the second MEAC Southern Division Tournament, hosted by Norfolk State, at the AMF Lanes on Saturday, putting together a 3-1 record on the day to advance to 14-10 overall and 8-4 in the MEAC. 

"All in all it was a good day. Our single pin spare percentage was down a little from the last tournament, but we compensated by throwing more strikes," said A&T head coach James Williams. "The ladies did a fine job today of managing the pocket. We nearly doubled our pocket percentage since the MEAC #1, which results in more strikes. They battled hard all day, and won matches that were heavily contested."

The Aggies opened the day with a 940-830 win over N.C. Central.  Junior transfer Courtney Crook helped lift the team to victory with a 243 performance.  The Aggies continued action with a 905-871 win against Florida A&M.  In that head-to-head match, junior Cherise Poole led the Aggies with a 245 game.

The Aggies then defeated Bethune-Cookman 1068-929, as four bowlers bowled over 200 to lift A&T to their third win on the day.  Senior Amber Brown threw a 229, while Poole was close behind with a 227 game.  Freshman Emily Strombeck bowled a 216 game and Crook bowled 206 to help take down the Wildcats. 

The Aggies dropped the final match of the day to Norfolk State 1081-918.  Poole ended the day with a 202 average, while Crook finished with a 199 average.  The Aggies also showed their continue improvement with a strong performance against a difficult oil pattern. The Aggies will look to turn in a strong performance in the second day of the tournament on Sunday.

"Going 3-1 is a great way to start the weekend. Tomorrow is baker matches, and I'm hoping that momentum will carry over. The ladies threw the ball with confidence and I loved every minute of it," Williams said.