DES PLAINES, Ill. – The Maryville women's bowling team has claimed its first tournament crown of the 2025-26 season, winning the Windy City Classic hosted by Valparaiso in Des Plaines, Ill. 

Elizabeth Teuber, for the second-straight week, earned All-Tournament honors, finishing fourth in the field of 106. Notably, three of the top five bowlers in the field came from the Great Lakes Valley Conference, with McKendree having the top two bowlers in the field, finishing fifth as a team.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Bowling kicked off on a scary note for the Saints, as on Halloween the Saints started 0-2, falling to both McKendree and Alabama A&M in bakers play. That quickly turned scary for the Saints' foes as they rolled into three straight wins to finish the first day 3-2. The last of those wins came versus the hosts in Valpo, a sign of later in the tournament. 

Day two's traditional play saw the Saints fall in a tight one to Marian before rattling off four wins in a row, including a 949-869 win over UIndy and a 930-929 nailbiter versus the McKendree Bearcats. 

Seeded second on Sunday bracket play, a quick 4-1 win over Wright State to secure their spot in the finals was the first bout for the Saints. On the way they ousted Carthage in four games to send them to the third-place match, setting up a finals match against the host in the No. 21-ranked Valpo Beacons. 

That match turned out to be the best of the weekend as After falling behind 3-1 to one, the Saints rattled off three-straight in front of a rowdy Valpo-fan filled crowd, the second of those wins coming as the Saints hammered home a five-bagger to force a winner take all game seven. That final game went the Saints way as they escaped with a 217-202 win to snatch victory away from the home-town team. 

UP NEXT
The Saints will stay close to home for their next bout of competition, going to Lebanon, Ill. for the McKendee Invite on Nov. 14 through Nov. 16.