Women's bowlers Hailey Bozych and Liz Rittenour were both knocked out of match play in the opening round of the Intercollegiate Singles Championship (ISC) Tuesday at South Point Bowling Plaza in Las Vegas.

The day of competition began with six games of seeding play with the top eight earning a first-round bye for three-game total pins matches. Both Lady Lions were solid out of the gate but dealt with setbacks throughout the block. They each started with games in the 190's, but a very high scoring pace left them in the bottom half of the 24-player field.
Bozych followed with 225 and 210 to move up to 11^th after three games. Rittenour struggled in game two, however she recovered nicely with 247 and 244 to right the ship. Her pace slowed in game five, but she concluded the block with 192 for a total of 1183 (197.17 average). Meanwhile, game four for Bozych proved to be the roughest, but she also recovered with games of 200 and 211 to finish with 1173 (195.5 average). While both totals were good, with the high pace, 17 players averaged over 200, leaving Rittenour as the No. 18 seed and Bozych as the No. 21 seed. It took an average of 214.33 to earn one of the first-round byes.
 

Rittenour faced No. 15 seed Madilyn Yockel from Sacred Heart. Rittenour started with six strikes out of the first six, but Yockel kept the same pace. After the eighth frame, the two were essentially tied with two frames to go. Neither finished well, but Yockel managed 215 compared to 200 for Rittenour.

Game two was very similar with both bowlers starting well. Rittenour held a small lead after the seventh frame, but a split in the eighth slowed her momentum. Yockel then posted three strikes in a row to retake the lead and finish with 207, compared to 189 from Rittenour. It was a 33-pin match with 10 frames to go.

Needing a quick start, Rittenour was only able to strike once in the first five frames, but Yockel had difficulties as well with two split opens. Rittenour had cut into the deficit after four frames, but Yockel then strung four strikes in a row. Rittenour answered, and after Yockel opened in the ninth, Rittenour had a chance to strike out for a come-from-behind victory, but it was not to be. Game ended with a 199-187 margin for Yockel and a 621-576 match win, eliminating Rittenour.

As the No. 21 seed, Bozych faced No. 12 Jenna Lehrer from Monmouth. Bozych had a slow start with two splits out of three frames allowing Lehrer to take a 33-pin lead, but Lehrer struggled the rest of the way and Bozych finished with six strikes out of the final seven shots to take game one 205-168.

Carrying a 37-pin advantage, Bozych doubled to start game two and extended that margin, but a split and open frame derailed the momentum. After the sixth frame, Lehrer had a seven-pin lead and the two essentially matched each other, but Lehrer struck out in the 10^th to take game two 196-181. Bozych still had the match lead, but it had been cut to 22 pins.

The final game resulted in one of the most dramatic finishes of the first round. After matching each other mark for mark through the first four frames, Lehrer held a small three

pin advantage, thanks in part to a six-count spare from Bozych in the fourth. Bozych then strung the next four in a row in frames five through eight. Lehrer matched the first three but left a 2-4-10 split in the eighth. After a slick conversion, Bozych still held a nine-pin lead in the game, but it could have been more. Bozych followed with nine-spare in the ninth frame and Lehrer struck, but Bozych essentially had a 31-pin advantage in the match. As Bozych stepped on the approach, a mark would clinch it but her shot drifted high and left a 4-6-7 split. Anything short of a conversion would leave the door cracked. Bozych covered the 4-7 on her spare attempt and a pin almost bounced out to cover the near impossible spare, but a score of 209 for Bozych meant that Lehrer could win with a double and eight in the 10^th. She stepped up and proceeded to strike out for a 234-209 win in game three and a 598-595 victory in the match. That eliminated Bozych, ending her bid to return to the ISC finals after finishing second in 2024.

Bozych and Rittenour will now rejoin their fellow Lady Lions for the Intercollegiate Team Championships (ITC) beginning April 17 at South Point in Las Vegas.

2025 ISC Qualifying

2025 ISC Bracket