WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
The Saint Francis women's bowling team faced five challenging opponents in Friday's baker session at Youngstown State's Penguin Classic, giving them a run for their money in defeat.

The team fell to three top-15 opponents in No. 2 Arkansas State, No. 6 Youngstown State and No. 11 Duquesne, in addition to Niagara and Valparaiso.

LOOKING FOR MORE HARDWARE
Reigning Northeast Conference Rookie of the Year Mackenzie Keane (East Brunswick, N.J.) started the season with eight consecutive strikes, leading the charge against Niagara and boosting her to a more prominent role in the preceding matches.

NOT TOO FAR OFF
Although the Red Flash faced three consecutive top-15 opponents to finish the day, they held the lead after two games in each of the three matches. Their opponents ended up coming back strong and showing why they are considered among the best in the nation by the National Tenpin Coaches Association voters.

On the bright side, these matches showed that the Red Flash has the bowlers to hang with the best teams in the nation. There is hope that they have enough to build a solid rotation around Keane and senior Kassidy Landwehr (Summerville, S.C.), and they have a lighter Saturday schedule to look forward to making those improvements.

FRIDAY SCOREBOARD
Niagara 938, SFU 880
Valparaiso 1001, SFU 912
Youngstown State 925, SFU 912
Arkansas State 1003, SFU 916
Duquesne 979, SFU 811
Total Pinfall: 4,431 (13th)

NEXT ON TAP
The Penguin Classic continues with traditional play Saturday morning at 9:25 a.m., starting with No. 3 Nebraska. The schedule lightens up as they face Wright State, No. 19 Central Missouri, No. 25 Morgan State and No. 16 Mercyhurst.

You can watch the Penguin Classic and most other tournaments live or recorded on the team's Facebook page, and live score updates and other up-to-date information will be posted on the team's X page (formerly Twitter).