An arrival to Las Vegas, Nevada, late Thursday night didn't deter the Grand Canyon University Women's Bowling Team from capturing the Rebel Classic Tournament over the weekend. The Lady Lopes also posted a runner-up finish in the Sin City Open.
The Lopes rose early on Friday at the Gold Coast Bowling Center for the Sin City Open, which consisted of four team games and 10 Baker games and was ultimately decided by total pinfall. GCU ended the day trailing San Jose State University by 417 pins to finish in 2nd.
The start of the Rebel Classic Saturday began in similar fashion. GCU trailed SJSU by around 150 pins after the first day of team games, but then regrouped.
"Even though we were behind, we kept faith in our coaches and each other," said Lopes' senior Raelynn Boswell. "We knew we could battle back if we just kept our energy up and stayed positive throughout the next day."
And battle back they did.
The Lady Lopes climbed closer to the Spartans with seemingly every frame Sunday morning, finding themselves 66 pins ahead at the end of the 12 Baker games. The lead in total pins earned GCU a first-round bye in bracket play, where they swept 2nd-seeded SJSU, 3-0, in the title match.
"It was an ecstatic feeling taking home the win at the Rebel Classic," said Boswell. "We lifted each other up with every shot, and I'll never forget the way we celebrated as a team when the final shot was thrown to secure the win."
Next, the GCU gears up for Collegiate Club Nationals in Rockford, Illinois on March 29 and 30.
