Pluhowsky paces qualifying at 2023 PWBA BowlTV Classic
June 04, 2023
WYOMING, Mich. – Shannon Pluhowsky of Dayton, Ohio, didn’t bowl the first two events of the 2023 Professional Women’s Bowling Association Tour season.
Instead, she began her campaign in Week 3 when she made the cut to match play and finished tied for 33rd place at the season’s first major, the 2023 United States Bowling Congress Queens, which was held at Sam’s Town Bowling Center in Las Vegas from May 17-23.
This week, the PWBA Tour is at Spectrum Lanes for the Classic Series – Grand Rapids, and ever since she arrived in Michigan, Pluhowsky has continued making up for lost time.
The 40-year-old left-hander began the week with an 8th-place finish at the PWBA Grand Rapids Classic, which concluded Friday night with England’s Verity Crawley defeating Germany’s Birgit Noreiks, 258-189, to secure the week’s first title.
Pluhowsky put herself in prime position to make a run at the second by rolling a 12-game total of 2,873 on Saturday (a 239.42 average) to lead qualifying by more than 100 pins at the PWBA BowlTV Classic.
Hometown favorite Brianna Andrew of Grand Rapids, Michigan, qualified second with 2,761. Melanie McDaniel of Joliet, Illinois (2,753); Hope Gramly of Aubrey, Texas (2,719); and Liz Kuhlkin of Schenectady, New York (2,711), grabbed the remaining spots in the top five.
The top 12 athletes from the field of nearly 100 players advanced to match play at the BowlTV Classic. The advancers will bowl two six-game match-play rounds, starting Sunday at 9 a.m. Eastern. Total pinfall, including bonus pins for each win in match play, will determine the five finalists for the stepladder finals.
The stepladder also will take place Sunday, beginning at 6:30 p.m. Eastern live at BowlTV.com. The champion will win $10,000.
Twelve games weren’t enough to determine who got the final spot for match play as Erin McCarthy of Elkhorn, Nebraska, and Kayla Bandy of Wichita, Kansas, finished qualifying with matching totals of 2,660 (a 221.67 average).
The duo wouldn’t stay tied for long, however, as McCarthy began the roll-off with 10 strikes in a row to cruise to a 287-192 victory to move on to match play and eliminate Bandy.
Things weren’t nearly as dramatic for Pluhowsky, who simply dominated the field from start to finish on Saturday.
The two-time PWBA major champion – Pluhowsky won the 2006 Queens and 2021 PWBA Tour Championship – was rock solid all day long, recording a low game of 202 and authoring eight games of 245 or higher (245, 246, 245, 267, 249, 257, 268 and 248).
As impressive as those numbers are, they didn’t necessarily surprise Pluhowsky as the tournament’s 36-foot oil pattern fits squarely within her comfort zone.
“I usually tend to like the shorter patterns if we can play to the left,” Pluhowsky said. “It’s always just one of those things if I can strike enough. I did today, so it was a good day.”
There’s no reason to think Pluhowsky won’t remain locked in throughout match play on Sunday; nevertheless, the PWBA Tour veteran and longtime Team USA member isn’t taking anything for granted.
“Today was a great day, but tomorrow could be completely different,” Pluhowsky said. “Every time a lane is stripped and reoiled, they change a little bit, so I have to keep an open mind, keep making my spares and just hang in there.”
Pluhowsky has done much more than just hang in there so far; she was downright dominant on Saturday, leading the field in average by nearly 10 pins per game.
That feat is made even more impressive when remembering, once again, that Pluhowsky started the season two weeks later than most of her opponents.
“Two tournaments had passed before I bowled the Queens, so by the time I started, the rest of the ladies were already sharp because they’d been out there and been on the patterns,” Pluhowsky said. “I think that the Queens pattern being a little tougher helped get me physically sharp, and things have just sort of gone from there. It’s nice because the goal is always to get off to a good start.”
Pluhowsky has certainly reached that goal, and in doing so, she has not only put herself in the hunt for the BowlTV Classic title, but she also appears to be the player to beat once match play begins at the third and final event of the Classic Series – Grand Rapids as well.
That’s because in addition to leading the field at the BowlTV Classic, Pluhowsky also ended Saturday night atop the standings for the Great Lakes Classic.
The combined qualifying totals for the Grand Rapids Classic and BowlTV Classic (24 games) determined the 24 athletes advancing to match play for the Great Lakes Classic.
Pluhowsky got to the lead by finishing with a 24-game total of 5,475, a 228.13 average. She was followed by Dasha Kovalova of Muskegon, Michigan (5,364); Gramly (5,325); Taylor Bulthuis of New Port Richey, Florida (5,219); and Colombia’s Maria Jose Rodriguez (5,215).
Mexico’s Sandra Gongora earned the final spot at the Great Lakes Classic with a 5,007 total, a 208.63 average.
Pinfall will drop at the beginning of the Great Lakes Classic, with all advancers bowling three eight-game blocks of round-robin match play Monday and Tuesday. The top five competitors, based on total pinfall and bonus pins, will advance to Tuesday’s stepladder finals.
The finals of the Great Lakes Classic will be broadcast Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. Eastern on BowlTV, with the winner earning the $12,000 top prize.
To learn more about the PWBA Tour, visit PWBA.com.
Instead, she began her campaign in Week 3 when she made the cut to match play and finished tied for 33rd place at the season’s first major, the 2023 United States Bowling Congress Queens, which was held at Sam’s Town Bowling Center in Las Vegas from May 17-23.
This week, the PWBA Tour is at Spectrum Lanes for the Classic Series – Grand Rapids, and ever since she arrived in Michigan, Pluhowsky has continued making up for lost time.
The 40-year-old left-hander began the week with an 8th-place finish at the PWBA Grand Rapids Classic, which concluded Friday night with England’s Verity Crawley defeating Germany’s Birgit Noreiks, 258-189, to secure the week’s first title.
Pluhowsky put herself in prime position to make a run at the second by rolling a 12-game total of 2,873 on Saturday (a 239.42 average) to lead qualifying by more than 100 pins at the PWBA BowlTV Classic.
Hometown favorite Brianna Andrew of Grand Rapids, Michigan, qualified second with 2,761. Melanie McDaniel of Joliet, Illinois (2,753); Hope Gramly of Aubrey, Texas (2,719); and Liz Kuhlkin of Schenectady, New York (2,711), grabbed the remaining spots in the top five.
The top 12 athletes from the field of nearly 100 players advanced to match play at the BowlTV Classic. The advancers will bowl two six-game match-play rounds, starting Sunday at 9 a.m. Eastern. Total pinfall, including bonus pins for each win in match play, will determine the five finalists for the stepladder finals.
The stepladder also will take place Sunday, beginning at 6:30 p.m. Eastern live at BowlTV.com. The champion will win $10,000.
Twelve games weren’t enough to determine who got the final spot for match play as Erin McCarthy of Elkhorn, Nebraska, and Kayla Bandy of Wichita, Kansas, finished qualifying with matching totals of 2,660 (a 221.67 average).
The duo wouldn’t stay tied for long, however, as McCarthy began the roll-off with 10 strikes in a row to cruise to a 287-192 victory to move on to match play and eliminate Bandy.
Things weren’t nearly as dramatic for Pluhowsky, who simply dominated the field from start to finish on Saturday.
The two-time PWBA major champion – Pluhowsky won the 2006 Queens and 2021 PWBA Tour Championship – was rock solid all day long, recording a low game of 202 and authoring eight games of 245 or higher (245, 246, 245, 267, 249, 257, 268 and 248).
As impressive as those numbers are, they didn’t necessarily surprise Pluhowsky as the tournament’s 36-foot oil pattern fits squarely within her comfort zone.
“I usually tend to like the shorter patterns if we can play to the left,” Pluhowsky said. “It’s always just one of those things if I can strike enough. I did today, so it was a good day.”
There’s no reason to think Pluhowsky won’t remain locked in throughout match play on Sunday; nevertheless, the PWBA Tour veteran and longtime Team USA member isn’t taking anything for granted.
“Today was a great day, but tomorrow could be completely different,” Pluhowsky said. “Every time a lane is stripped and reoiled, they change a little bit, so I have to keep an open mind, keep making my spares and just hang in there.”
Pluhowsky has done much more than just hang in there so far; she was downright dominant on Saturday, leading the field in average by nearly 10 pins per game.
That feat is made even more impressive when remembering, once again, that Pluhowsky started the season two weeks later than most of her opponents.
“Two tournaments had passed before I bowled the Queens, so by the time I started, the rest of the ladies were already sharp because they’d been out there and been on the patterns,” Pluhowsky said. “I think that the Queens pattern being a little tougher helped get me physically sharp, and things have just sort of gone from there. It’s nice because the goal is always to get off to a good start.”
Pluhowsky has certainly reached that goal, and in doing so, she has not only put herself in the hunt for the BowlTV Classic title, but she also appears to be the player to beat once match play begins at the third and final event of the Classic Series – Grand Rapids as well.
That’s because in addition to leading the field at the BowlTV Classic, Pluhowsky also ended Saturday night atop the standings for the Great Lakes Classic.
The combined qualifying totals for the Grand Rapids Classic and BowlTV Classic (24 games) determined the 24 athletes advancing to match play for the Great Lakes Classic.
Pluhowsky got to the lead by finishing with a 24-game total of 5,475, a 228.13 average. She was followed by Dasha Kovalova of Muskegon, Michigan (5,364); Gramly (5,325); Taylor Bulthuis of New Port Richey, Florida (5,219); and Colombia’s Maria Jose Rodriguez (5,215).
Mexico’s Sandra Gongora earned the final spot at the Great Lakes Classic with a 5,007 total, a 208.63 average.
Pinfall will drop at the beginning of the Great Lakes Classic, with all advancers bowling three eight-game blocks of round-robin match play Monday and Tuesday. The top five competitors, based on total pinfall and bonus pins, will advance to Tuesday’s stepladder finals.
The finals of the Great Lakes Classic will be broadcast Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. Eastern on BowlTV, with the winner earning the $12,000 top prize.
To learn more about the PWBA Tour, visit PWBA.com.