ORLANDO, Fla. — The Southern University bowling team secured its first ranked victory of the season Friday, highlighting the opening day of competition at the Destination Orlando Tournament at Boardwalk Bowl.
 
The Lady Jaguars opened the tournament with a strong 209 in their first game against Saint Anselm College but struggled to maintain that momentum throughout the match. Southern's highest score after the opening game was a 170 as Saint Anselm rallied to claim a 904-844 victory.
 
Southern carried that early momentum into its matchup against No. 17 Tulane, taking a 201-164 lead after the opening game. However, the Lady Jaguars again struggled with consistency, including a 188 in the fourth game, as the Green Wave secured a 976-859 win.
 
The Lady Jaguars bounced back against Emmanuel, earning their first victory of the tournament with an 874-871 decision. Southern found itself trailing by 25 pins entering the final game after posting a 171 in the opener and a 178 in the third game. The Lady Jaguars saved their best performance for last, rolling a tournament-high 210 in the final game to complete the comeback.
 
Southern followed with its biggest win of the season, knocking off No. 20 UAB by a narrow 917-914 margin. The Lady Jaguars put together their most consistent performance of the day, opening with games of 196, 171, 174 and 186 to build a 33-pin advantage heading into the final game. Southern closed with a 190 to hold off the Blazers and secure its first win over a ranked opponent this season.
 
The Lady Jaguars closed the opening day against another nationally ranked opponent, No. 5 Nebraska. Southern started strong with games of 205 and 182 but was unable to keep pace with the Cornhuskers, falling 1,069-818.
 
UP NEXT
The tournament continues on Saturday with the traditional portion of the schedule. The Lady Jaguars will take on No. 2 Vanderbilt, Niagara University, No. 9 North Carolina A&T, Alabama State and No. 6 Youngstown State.

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