Mid-Suburban girls bowling preview

MSL girls bowling preview

When: Saturday 830am

Where: AMF Lanes, Rolling Meadows

Teams to watch: Prospect, Elk Grove, Hoffman Estates, Schaumburg

Players to watch: Jodi Gawlik (Schaumburg); Ashley Dolce, Caerlina Williams, Tedra Tado (Elk Grove); Liz Saffold, Kaily Schlosser (Hoffman Estates); Kelly Lawless, Emily Victor, Allison Walsh, Whitney Schmidt (Prospect).

Team race: Looking for a close, tight, hotly contested championship race? Look no further than AMF Lanes Saturday, where the top 3 teams are more closely bunched than ever before going into the tournament.

Prospect (88-11) leaped into first place in the standings going into the meet with a strong performance Monday, and the Knights’ starting five, Lawless (201.88 league average), Victor (198.33), Walsh (196.85), Schmidt (196.82), and Mary Styzek (193.61), are all in the top 11 individually in the MSL. There’s no shortage of leadership skills for the Knights as all are seniors with the exception of Walsh, a junior.

Nipping on Prospect’s heels are Elk Grove and Hoffman Estates. Both the Grens and the Hawks have identical 86-13 records, so it’s no surprise that Saturday’s chase to the title will be wide open. Elk Grove, which held first place in league play all season until the final day, is led by Dolce, a junior who is second in the conference, going in with an impressive 205.55 average. Dolce is ably assisted by talented senior Williams (202.06) and Tado (200.70), another stellar junior.

Hoffman has come on strong late in the year and poses a major threat behind Vanderbilt-bound Saffold, third in the league (202.61) this year. Saffold also rolled a 748 series this season, best in the MSL in years. Schlosser of the Hawks is a big threat as well, while freshman Sarah Wille has also made a big impact.

Two-time defending champ Schaumburg (74-25) has a shot. The Saxons are a darkhorse this season but have been bowling extremely well as of late, especially with senior Jodi Gawlik, as she has done for the last two years, leading the way. Gawlik finished a close second at the state tournament in Rockford in 2010, and leads the MSL this year with a whopping 220.73 average, more than 15 pins better than Dolce. Conant and Fremd (50-49) come in tied for fifth overall.

The individual race: Gawlik is the favorite, and the senior usually bowls with a passion on the big stage. Her biggest challenges should come from Dolce, Tado, Williams, Saffold and Schlosser, with Lawless, Schmidt, and Walsh huge threats. Look for Buffalo Grove’s Mariah McVay, who fired the top game this year (290) to be in the mix, as will Paula Noh of Rolling Meadows, who is 12th in the conference in individual average. Senior Cheryl Halas of Schaumburg will be factor, as will senior Barbie Gutwein of Palatine, herself a state qualifier as a sophomore.

Fremd’s surge in 2011 was led by junior Sam Rossdeutscher, while junior Beverly Dines helped lead Barrington to their first ever conference wins. Wheeling’s top performer is senior Gabi Fuentes, while Sam Pincenti leads Conant and Sam Tres of Hersey has enjoyed an outstanding year.

What they’re saying:

“Obviously, it’s going to be a great test. Our girls lost only one game to Hoffman this year, and 3 games to Elk Grove - otherwise we beat everybody else, and we actually came within 4 pins of our team record against the Grens. The girls have been outstanding all season, and I can’t remember the last time the race was so close with three teams separated by two points - and don’t forget about Schaumburg, waiting in the wings.” - Prospect coach Greg Troyer.

“Only being 2 points out of first place, you’d have to say it’s loooking good for us. We’ve peaked at the right time; the girls have been very competitive, and we’ve been stringing marks together. The girls will have to support each other and be there for each other. It’ll be a dogfight, that’s for sure.” — Hoffman Estates coach Dan Pfliger

“We’re excited — it’s going to be a fantastic display of competition Saturday. Our girls will be thinking about the standings being so close coming in, but they won’t let it affect how they bowl. They perform to the best of their ability every time out, and come out with as much energy and excitement as they can.” — Elk Grove coach Kim Sander

“Hoffman, Elk Grove and Prospect are very close at the top, but like we told our team in a meeting today, we’re only 14 points behind and there’s 99 points to be won on Saturday, so anything can happen. All we ask is that they bowl their hearts out and have fun, and whatever comes, comes.” — Schaumburg coach Mark Kelly

“Our outlook is extremely positive. We’ve been bowling exceptionally well the last few weeks, consistently making our spares. Our team has improved from week to week and I hope we stay focused Saturday, with positive mental attitue, and do as well as I think we can.” — Fremd coach Deb Pietrucha