No. 9 Tulane women’s bowling has rolled into 2018 with positive momentum. After placing well in its last two tournaments, the team is optimistic for the rest of its season.

The team first participated in the Mid-Winter Invitational from Jan. 12-14. Finishing fifth out of a total of 20 teams, the Green Wave upset teams that stood above it in rankings, including No. 4 Stephen F. Austin. The team completed the tournament with a 193.6 pin average, made possible through an almost perfect game in which the team scored a 299. Freshman Madison McCall, who finished 17th overall in the invitational, attributes this success to each individual member of the team.

“This season we are very versatile,” McCall said. “We are very capable of working well together, and we have people sitting out who are just as capable of going in and helping the team. Everyone is capable of contributing equally to the team this year.”

This past weekend, the team traveled to Reading, Pennsylvania, to compete in the Kutztown Invitational. The team finished fourth overall and defeated a total of five teams with higher rankings. McCall finished in the top 20 players in addition to receiving third-team all-tournament honors.

For senior Michelle Nu, the strong finishes at recent tournaments mark a good start for the team, but there is still more to accomplish.

“I am looking to outperform myself,” Nu said. “I want to break my own personal high game … The team is hoping to qualify for nationals, and I think we are No. 9 in the country right now. The higher we go, the better it will be for us to qualify for nationals, since the program has never qualified before.”

Looking into the future, the team members are optimistic about obtaining their goal of reaching nationals. As the top-ranked athletic team on Tulane’s campus, energy is high, a crucial component to the success of the team, according to junior Hailee Hammond.

“We go into the bowling alley every day playing music, and we like to have a good time,” Hammond said. “When we bowl well, we also have a good time. There is a strong correlation between the two.”

The team will take to the road once again in mid-February for the SFA Jacks Invitational in Houston.