PRAIRIE VIEW – The Prairie View A&M bowling team's march toward the NCAA Women's Bowling Championship will begin against No. 3 seed and Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champion North Carolina A&T, as the Lady Panthers learned the first leg of their journey this afternoon during the NCAA's Bowling Championship Selection Show.

The Lady Panthers earned an automatic bid to the dance following their victory in the Southwestern Athletic Conference Women's Bowling Tournament days ago. PVAMU Head Bowling Coach Glenn White said he's confident in the team's chances, noting that while the Lady Panthers' region won't be easy, it also won't be a situation that intimidates the SWAC champions.

"I feel pretty good about our chances, actually. First of all, we're excited to have this opportunity. With this being the first time we've had a 16-team tournament in the fashion that it's been broken down, we feel even more confident," White said. "Our confidence is really based on what we've been doing at the end of the year. We've put in a lot of work, and our last two events – the final stage of the SWAC East Roundup and the SWAC Tournament Championship itself – were our two best events we've had all year. I think we're peaking right now, and we know we have a lot of work to do to prepare for Kansas City. I feel good about where the team is right now, and I think we're ready to compete physically and mentally. We're looking forward to it."

Joining Prairie View A&M in region three will be perennial contender Arkansas State – who the Lady Panthers have beaten this season – and MEAC representative Delaware State.

"With the new format and the regional setup, we feel that the bracket was laid out pretty well, and each region is pretty even," All-SWAC bowler Crystal Cline said. "We didn't get a chance to face North Carolina A&T due to the pandemic, but I think that as long as we continue bowling strongly and staying consistent while focusing on our endurance, we'll be in good shape."

As one of the upperclassmen of the team, Cline isn't a stranger to the national stage. However, this will be the first time for several Lady Panther bowlers, including teammate and SWAC Bowling Tournament Most Valuable Player Patricia Rosales.

After seeing the team's promising 2020 campaign cut short, the sophomore is chomping at the bit to get on the lanes.

"I'm very excited. We have been putting so much work in," Rosales said. "I'm ready for this, and I know we're ready for this. We just have to take things one shot at a time. We can't live in the past or in the future. We have to live in the moment. We're going to be ready for this."
 

The NCAA Women's Bowling Championship will be held April 7-10 at AMF Pro Bowl Lanes in Kansas City, Mo. The regional rounds will be played April 7-8, with the winners advancing to the championship rounds on April 9-10.

The regional and championship brackets will be double-elimination, with each round consisting of a best-of-three match that includes the use of three team game formats- baker total pin fall, five-person team match and a best-of-seven baker match play. Regional competition will conclude with one team from each regional bracket advancing to compete in the championship. The champion will be determined using a best-of-seven baker match play. The championship final will air at 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time, Saturday, April 10 on ESPNU.  

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