HARAHAN, La. – The No. 17 Louisiana Tech bowling team knocked off three nationally ranked opponents on the final day of the Allstate Sugar Bowl Collegiate Bowling Invitational en route to claiming its first tournament crown of the 2018-19 season.
 
In Sunday's bracket action, LA Tech posted a 13-3-2 record in all games bowled across its three matchups – all versus top-25 opponents. Sophomore Ashley Channell posted a weekend average of 200.60 and tallied 1,003 pins – third best of all bowlers this weekend, and earned all-tournament accolades.

"This weekend was a great start to our season," head coach Matt Nantais remarked. "I'm very proud of the way that the team came together to run through the bracket today. Our last two matches on Saturday were not our best, and exposed a few flaws that we will need to work on improving. However, the team stayed positive all weekend and supported each person that was in the match. It was nice to see the emotion they all showed on the lanes today. Our next event is in two weeks, so we will have some time to work on things to help us late in these tournaments."
 
LA Tech entered Sunday's bracket play as the no. 4 overall seed, matched up against the no. 3 seed and tournament host Tulane. The Lady Techsters took a tight 198-192 win in game one, before the teams finished game two tied at 199 all. Tech closed out the match, taking games three (213-175), five (203-177) and six (170-160) clinching a 4.5-1.5 win and advancing to the semifinals against Sam Houston State.
 
The Bearkats entered the semifinal matchup ranked fourth nationally and owned the tournament's top overall seed. However, LA Tech would not be deterred, and wasted no time in sweeping Sam Houston State (170-161, 203-179, 191-184, 223-211) and advancing to the championship match.
 
In the championship match, facing off against another top-10 foe in No. 6 Stephen F. Austin, the Lady Techsters would square off with an opponent who had previously defeated them earlier in the weekend (942-839) in Saturday's traditional team format of competition.
 
Tech began the championship matchup with a 177-167 win in game one, followed up with a 190-179 win in game two, taking a 2-0 lead in the preliminary stages of the final matchup. However, in the third game, LA Tech and SFA finished in a 179-179 tie – Tech's second tie of the day.
 
Leading now, 2.5-0.5, Tech registered the first 200+ game in the matchup, and took a commanding 3.5-0.5 lead after a 200-192 triumph. However, SFA would not go quietly, staking a six pin win in game five (173-167), a one pin win in game six (162-161) and a 218-171 win in game seven to send the match to a roll-off.
 
In the extra session, each team would bowl frames 6-10, allowing each squad one time through its lineup. Then, in one of the more clutch performances in program history, the Lady Techsters combined for six consecutive strikes after beginning the session with an open frame. The 129-118 win clinched the championship title and closed out the final matchup.
 
LA Tech began the weekend as one of the hottest teams, recording a 4-1 record and a pinfall of 4,662, good for second place after the first day of baker matches. Tech defeated (RV) Valparaiso, 1,010-838, No. 4 Sam Houston State, 978-880, Southern, 895-893 and No. 25 Texas Southern 959-862 to conclude the first day of action.
 
Day 2 of the tournament saw LA Tech slip a couple places down to fourth in the standings, but still with a chance to compete for the championship title.
 
Tech saw complete performances across its lineup all weekend. In addition to Channell's all-tournament performance, fellow sophomore Kaitlyn Eder finished with the seventh-highest individual average at 192.80. Freshman Emily Rettig (33^rd at 173.40), freshman Lindsay Manning (53^rd at 171.25) and senior Kendall Hickman (57^th at 162.00) all finished among the top 60 competitors out of the field of 98 participants. Freshman Kalia Patterson also saw her first collegiate action, averaging 160.50 as a substitute.
 
The Lady Techsters will be back in action at the Track Kat Klash hosted by Sam Houston State, beginning on Friday, Nov. 2 from Houston, Texas. Follow @LATechBowl on social media and subscribe to the LA Tech Bowling YouTube page to catch the nationally-ranked Techsters throughout the 2018-19 season.