Behind the first perfect game in school history, Maryland-Eastern Shore's Lady Hawks zeroed in on the country's top ranking with their victory at the Kutztown Invite this past weekend.
It was their third consecutive tournament victory.
Paula Vilas rolled 12 consecutive strikes for a perfect 300 for the Lady Hawks (80-18). Not only was it the first perfect game for UMES, it was only the fifth recorded in NCAA tournament competition since the sport was created in 2003.
The second-ranked Lady Hawks defeated top-ranked Vanderbilt twice in the tournament, and also defeated no. 3 Delaware State once. They also topped fourth-ranked Fairleigh Dickson three times.
Martha Perez made her third straight all-tournament team. She averaged at least 213 pins in each of the six games she bowled. The junior from Bogota, Colombia totaled 1,302 pins, good for third highest among bowlers with six games. Her high was a 255 against Howard.
"It was a team effort," UMES head coach Sharon Brummell said. "We are just firing on all cylinders right now. Everybody is feeling it."
Vilas, a sophomore, did her deed against 19th-ranked Norfolk State. She averaged 217.6 over five games to lead the Lady Hawks and third highest among individual bowlers. She totaled 1,088 pins for the tournament.
Perez and Vilas weren't the only power players for UMES.
Two-time All-American Kristina Frahm averaged 206.3 pins a game, good enough for 12th place. Maria Rodriguez had an average of 215, though she only participated in three games. Also, Anggie Ramirez and Stacy Parsons had more than 200 pins a game, with 204.4 and 203.3 respectively.
The field for the Kutztown Invite included 28 teams. Nine of the nation's top 10 teams and 16 of the top 20 were featured.
The Lady Hawks go for their tournament win in a row at the Capital Classic in Dover, Delaware this weekend.
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