VALLEY PARK, Mo. – Maryville University women's bowling took third place in their own Columbia 300 Saints Invite over the weekend. The team was led by Laura Bartelt who landed on the all-tournament team after an outstanding three days.
 
The bronze gave the Saints their second top-three finish of the 2022-23 campaign and moved their overall head-to-head record to 61-30.
 
Maryville started baker matches on Friday with four straight wins over Newman University (979-964), the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater (1,015-936), the University of Central Missouri (920-883), and Illinois Wesleyan (930-651). Lewis University, however, sent them home on Friday night with their first and only loss of qualifying play.
 
The Saints continued their winning ways with five straight traditional match wins on Saturday and rounded out traditional play on Sunday morning with their sixth to improve to 10-1. Laura Bartelt led the way for her team, averaging 209.17 to finish third as an individual and to earn her a place on the all-tournament team.
 
With a chance to advance to the championship match in the first round of bracket play against Newman, Maryville took the first game 187-161 before dropping their next three to be pushed to the brink in the best-of-seven. The Saints rebounded with a convincing 203-153 win and another in game six. Newman had other plans though, finishing off the Saints in the seventh game 223-183.
 
In the third-place match against Wisconsin-Whitewater, the ladies fell behind again, this time 3-0, before working their way back to a 4-3 series win to earn the bronze.
 
Next up for the Saints is the Flyer Classic hosted by Lewis University in Lockport, Ill. Baker play is set to begin on Friday, Feb. 10.