Girls Bowling: HHS small in numbers, large in experience
The Highland High School girls bowling team may be short in numbers, but the Lady Bulldogs stand tall in experience.
The Lady Bulldogs only have 11 total team members and one is currently injured, but all five seniors return, including three starters, as well as a sophomore who was a varsity starter on a regular basis as a freshman last year.
“We have a lot of varsity experience; these girls know the ropes,” said Highland coach Laura Wander-Vrell, whose team opens the season Thursday by hosting East Alton-Wood River at Poplar Junction Lanes. “I think the girls will do good this year because there is a lot of leadership and experience.”
The three senior returning starters are MaKayla Smith, Jennifer O’Brien and Lexi Korte. Joining that trio are two seniors who served as floaters last season in Liz Arend and Gina Zbinden.
In early practices this season, Smith has been the leading bowler with an average around 185. She and Korte are in their fourth year of varsity experience while O’Brien is going to be a three-year varsity starter.
Emma Schuster is the sophomore who found her name in the starting lineup on a regular basis as a freshman. She currently is recovering from a left ankle injury that occurred about seven weeks ago.
Last year, all five seniors and Schuster traveled to the Alton Sectional for the Lady Bulldogs.
In addition to the handful of seniors and Schuster, juniors Molli Pfister and Megan O’Brien, Jennifer’s younger sister, are ready to compete at the varsity level.
Wander-Vrell said she expects Jerseyville and Mascoutah to be the toughest tests in the Mississippi Valley Division.
With Delaney Grimes the only one freshman in the girls’ program and nearly half of her team graduating after this season, Wander-Vrell said, “We’re going to need some recruits. We’re going to be in a little bit of trouble next year trying to make that JV squad. We’ll have varsity covered but JV is going to be a bit of a stretch.”
This story was originally published December 1, 2015 at 9:05 AM with the headline "Girls Bowling: HHS small in numbers, large in experience."