Lincoln, NE -- St. Francis College junior Amelia Tonyes was one of only 16 women's collegiate bowlers to qualify for the United States Bowling Congress (USBC) Intercollegiate Singles Championships, which are taking place in Lincoln, Nebraska this week. Tonyes advanced to the quarterfinal round before coming up short in her bid to advance to Saturday's semifinal round.
Tuesday's play began with all of the bowlers competing in six games of qualifying, with the total pinfall standings used to determine seeding in the afternoon's staggered bracket format. After the first five games, in which Tonyes posted scores of 189, 171, 209, 187 and 193, she ranked ninth, which would have resulted in her having to compete in the first round of the bracket. However, Tonyes fired a 214, the second best final game score from any of the women's competitors, raising her to the sixth seed with a total score of 1,163.
By finishing in the top eight, Tonyes earned a bye through the first round and awaited the winner of the match between Tracy Fakes of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and Amanda Dodd of Calumet College. Dodd emerged victorious from that match to become Tonyes' opponent in round two. Tonyes began the three-game total pinfall match against Dodd with a 20-pin advantage courtesy of a 194-174 verdict in game one. Dodd bounced back in game two with a 168-139 win, giving her a nine-pin lead going to the final game. Both competitors bowled well in the third game, with Tonyes taking advantage of a late turkey to prevail in the game, 193-175 and emerge victorious by nine pins.
By virtue of that win, Tonyes moved on to the quarterfinal round, where she was matched up against third-seeded hometown star Elise Bolton from the University of Nebraska. As she did in the second round, Tonyes opened up with a 20-pin advantage by winning game one, 196-176. However, Bolton turned the match in her favor in the second game by outscoring Tonyes, 181-136. Game three saw Bolton fire a 215 to Tonyes' 156, earning her a spot in the semifinals.