On Feb. 1, the girls bowling team went to the sectionals with the hope of getting their third consecutive sectional title.

The team came short placing only fourth, falling behind bowling power houses Conant, Prospect and Hoffman Estates. Elk Grove got 5,464 points while Conant’s team got 5,638 points.  They will not go to state.

“I think the team did well, but we had some struggles throughout sectionals,” sophomore Jackie Peters said. “In the beginning I felt like we weren’t really hitting our marks and cheering, but it picked up towards [the end].”

Junior Kayleigh Duff thought sectionals was a challenge, but she says the team managed to play their best.

“We bowled over average and did a pretty good job,” Duff said. “It just so happened that the other teams were having a good day. We put so much pressure on ourselves and it showed.”

The rest of the team agrees with Duff.

“We bowled our best,” junior Allison Peters said. “There was some challenges we had to face but I think we overcame them as best as we could.”

Head coach Jason Svehla is proud of the teams perfomance at sectionals.

“I thought the girls bowled really well, but we just didn’t have the same intensity we had the previous week when we won our third consecutive conference championship,” Svehla said.

JV senior Alexis Swinson was there to witness them bowl and she says that they bowled very well.

“I am very proud of how the girls performed [at sectionals]. They for sure gave it their all and they helped each other when they needed it the most,” Swinson said.

Nevertheless, on Jan. 26, the girls participated in the MSL Conference game. “It felt really good to win conference again,” Svehla said.

The team was lead by senior Abby Nix and Duff. Nix, who was part of the varsity team last season, said it felt good to win and that they “worked hard during the season to keep the conference title.”

“The girls really worked together as it was a close race after five games. The girls really fed off one another the final game to clinch the conference championship,” Svehla said.

“Conference was truly a team effort,” Duff said. “It showed us that when we work together as a team and help pick each other up, we can be successful and accomplish anything.”

Conference, though, gave the team confidence and more will to perform and bowl better.

“Winning conference was a big boost of confidence for us but it also put a target on our backs,” Allison Peters said. “Everyone knows how well our school does so they always try to find ways to deduct pins from us but that just makes us feel good knowing that people are somewhat scared of our skill in the lanes.”

Compared to the beginning of the season, the team has been able to gradually improve and work of each other.

“The team has come together and improved together as a family. We’ve all gotten to know each other and the coaches, which was totally new to us in the beginning,” Duff said.

With all this said, the girls bowled with a purpose.

“I believe sectionals gave us a push to wanting to go state but  we also  wanted to prove that bowling is just as important as basketball and any other sport,” Jackie Peters said. “We work just as hard other sports does, so I believe we deserve some spotlight.”

By: Yesenia Cruz