BATON ROUGE, La. — Maria Molina Diaz delivered a dominant performance to claim MVP honors and lead Southern University to fourth-place after the second day of the Southern Queens.
 
Molina Diaz was sensational, finishing as the only bowler in the 55-player field to average above 210. She totaled 1,051 pins over five games, rallying from a 46-pin deficit to surge into first place and secure the individual title.
 
Southern began the day against the bye, using the match to build momentum. Molina Diaz (205) and Darian Mobley (203) were the only Lady Jaguars to finish in the plus, while Angel Stein added a 191 and Alanna Jones contributed a 178.
 
The competition intensified as Southern faced No. 14 Sam Houston in a tightly contested matchup. The Lady Jaguars fell just short, 886-874. Molina Diaz stepped up in the anchor position and needed a strike in the 10th frame to seal what would have been Southern's third ranked win of the season. A costly split proved to be the difference. Mikayla Stephens paced the team with a 203, followed by Molina Diaz at 187 and Jones with 177.
 
Another challenge awaited in No. 21 UAB. Southern again threatened an upset but came up short, 940-892. Molina Diaz recorded the Lady Jaguars' highest game of the day with a blazing 245, while Mobley bounced back with a 184.
 
Entering the fourth match, Southern held a 36-pin cushion over Alabama State for fourth place. The Hornets claimed the head-to-head matchup 915-886, but the Lady Jaguars maintained their position in the standings. Jones found her rhythm with a 221, Molina Diaz added a 180, and Mobley chipped in 178.
 
In the position round, Southern posted its highest team game of the day but fell to Jackson State, 1,022-923. Molina Diaz closed her MVP performance with a strong 234, while Jones added a 219, giving Southern two bowlers in the plus to cap the tournament.
 
Jones finished 13^th overall with a 960 for a 192 average. Mobley was the only other Lady Jaguar to average over 170 at 172.8 with an 864 total pinfall.
 
Up Next
Southern will open up bracket play against Jackson State on the final day of the tournament.

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