Gray leads way for Hoffman Estates
Get ready, McKendree University.
Your next great bowler may be on the way.
Hoffman Estates senior Brittany Gray, who fell in love with the school after a summer visit, continued her stellar season by firing a 654 series Monday night to lead the Hawks to a win over Wheeling in the Mid-Suburban League.
Elk Grove and Prospect both won by 9-0 marks to stay undefeated and on top of the MSL after two weeks of conference play. Gray rolled games of 242 and 226 Monday.
“It just feels like a home away from home,” said Gray of McKendree, which is located in downstate Lebanon. “It’s a small place, but it’s near a big city (St. Louis), and everyone seems so together. I love the feeling there.”
It’s only the first season as a full-time varsity bowler for Gray, but she’s already shown marked improvement and recently has credited a wrist guard for upping her game.
“I started using it for speed, and to improve my control,” said Gray. “It’s worked out well and I’ll probably wear it the rest of the year.”
Sarah Wille added a 611 series (234 high game) for the Hawks. So far coach Dan Pfligler likes what he sees.
“All of our girls have been working extremely hard,” said Pfligler.
Ashley Dolce stayed in first place in overall individual average by firing a 582 series to lead Elk Grove. Prospect’s Allison Walsh, fresh off a 269 game at Saturday’s prestigious Rock Island Invitational, shot 590 to lead the Knights.
Schaumburg topped Buffalo Grove 7-2 as Tiff Schwartz excelled with games of 215 and 212 and Cheyenne Pfeiffer rolled a 205. A 541 series from Sammi Van De Linde helped Conant slip past Fremd 5-4.
Rolling Meadows swept by Barrington 9-0, and the big story for the Mustangs so far has been senior Abbey Hill.
Hill followed up last week’s 652 series against Hoffman, the second-best in the MSL’s opening night, by leading Meadows again with a 565 that included a 202 game.
Hill’s superb start is made even more impressive considering it’s only her second year of full-time bowling.
“Abbey’s got a ton of natural talent and great athletic ability,” said Meadows coach Karen Ellingsworth of Hill, who also plays volleyball and softball. “Once she learns to use the marks on the lanes better, she’ll really take off. It’s all about playing the lanes, and she’s still learning.”
“The most important thing for me is practice,” said Hill, who is close to her objective of winning the ‘Golden Mustang’ award, given to Meadows athletes who play 3 sports in all four years of school. “I want to be as consistent as possible and practicing as much as I can will help me acheive that goal.”