onefrombills
11-01-2008, 09:42 AM
OMAHA, NEB. (October 31, 2008) — Chris Loschetter of Avon, Ohio and Michelle Feldman of Auburn, NY finished atop their respective fields in Friday’s match play at the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour Pepsi Viper Championship at Thunder Alley in which the top 32 men and top 10 women competed for a spot in the finals.
Loschetter, who competed for the University of Nebraska 1999-2001, went 12-6 in match play Friday to earn the top seed for Sunday’s final round.
“It's pretty special,” Loschetter said of his results. “I've never been in that position before. We did a lot of match play last year and now we're doing some different formats, so I never had to bowl only one game to win my first title. So it's exciting. I'll be excited tomorrow but then Sunday I'll get back to business.”
The right-hander is coming off his best career season, ranked eighth in the 2007-08 PBA World Point Rankings. He credits his final position to the strategy he developed while competing.
“I stayed a little farther right tonight and a lot of the guys burned up the middle of the lane and it forces you, in a way, inside the sixth arrow and I decided to stay away from that and it helped a lot,” Loschetter said.
For Sunday’s finals, however, he said it’s too early to predict a plan of attack.
“There's a lot of elements involved in TV and you never know what's going to happen,” Loschetter said. “You can be playing really far right or really far left. It depends on what other players do and the TV lights have a big effect so you kind of have to do that at that moment and decide what you want to do.”
Veteran bowler Walter Ray Williams, Jr. or Ocala, Fla. earned the number two seed. Brad Angelo, of Lockport, N.Y. took the third spot. In a miraculous comeback, Wes Malott, of Argyle, Texas was tied for seventh with one game remaining and shot 268 to catapult from seventh to fourth place and claim the last spot for Sunday’s finals.
“I was obviously very frustrated, I felt like I bowled OK but wasn’t catching the breaks,” Malott said.
“When the last game came around I felt like I lost all momentum and was kind of down but it actually kind of helped me relax. Halfway through the game I had a spare, a three-bagger, a spare and a strike. I was on the other side of the house and a couple guys came over and told me to keep it going. I got lucky late in the game. It’s pretty unbelievable. I have no clue how it (making the final) happened.”
In the Women’s Series, sponsored by the U.S. Bowling Congress (USBC), Feldman and Stefanie Nation of Miami finished No. 1 and 2, respectively, to earn spots in Sunday’s live ESPN finals. Feldman finished 7-2-0 in match play with 5,208 pins and Nation also finished at 7-2-0 with a score of 5,079.
“Actually I was surprised I did as well as I did,” Feldman said. “Yesterday, bowling across from the men is easier for me because I kind of go with them. Not that I didn’t bowl well today, but I’m a little more left than the women and it’s a lot easier.”
“It’s indescribable, it's overwhelming,” Nation said. “I really can't put in into words. I definitely had to work hard today to get there. I'm excited. I've always wanted to be on the professional women's tour. It didn't really exist when I thought I could get there. I just want to make the best of it and bring home the title.”
The live ESPN-televised finals take place Sunday, Nov. 2 at 1 p.m. EST. The top four finalists advanced to stepladder competition. No. 4 Malott will face No. 3 Angelo, the winner of that match will face No. 2 Williams Jr. and the winner of that match will face Loschetter in the championship match. The women’s championship match featuring Feldman and Nation will take place prior to the men’s championship match. It will air live on ESPN on Sunday, Oct. 26 at noon.
Round of 32 - Round Robin
1, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla., 3-4-1, 5,061
2, Wes Malott, Argyle, Texas, 4-4-0, 5,056
3, Brad Angelo, Lockport, N.Y., 6-2-0, 5,034
4, Mika Koivuniemi, Hartland, Mich., 4-4-0, 4,991, $5,000
5, Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, 4-4-0, 4,959
6, Dino Castillo, Carrollton, Texas, 6-2-0, 4,945, $3,000
7, Brian Kretzer, Dayton, Ohio, 5-3-0, 4,943, $2,650
8, Jack Jurek, Lackawanna, N.Y., 6-1-1, 4,934, $3,700
9, Michael Machuga, Erie, Pa., 6-2-0, 4,933, $3,300
10, Ritchie Allen, Columbia, S.C., 5-3-0, 4,925, $2,800
11, Michael Fagan, Patchogue, N.Y., 6-2-0, 4,921, $4,000
12, Bill O'Neill, Southampton, Pa., 5-3-0, 4,903, $3,400
13, Tony Reyes, San Bruno, Calif., 5-2-1, 4,897, $2,250
14, Jonathan Van Hees, Newport, R.I., 4-3-1, 4,887, $2,700
15, Ryan Shafer, Horseheads, N.Y., 4-3-1, 4,859, $2,550
16, Tommy Delutz Jr., Flushing, N.Y., 4-4-0, 4,836, $2,320
17, Chad Kloss, Greenfield, Wis., 7-0-1, 4,823, $2,500
18, Steve Jaros, Yorkville, Ill., 3-4-1, 4,808, $2,210
19, Dave D'Entremont, Middleburg Heights, Ohio, 2-6-0, 4,806, $2,240
20, Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., 3-5-0, 4,799, $2,600
21, Mike DeVaney, San Diego, 3-5-0, 4,737, $2,190
22, Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., 2-5-1, 4,729, $2,220
23, Ken Simard, Greenville, S.C., 4-4-0, 4,722, $2,180
24, Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C., 4-4-0, 4,721, $2,200
25, Joe Ciccone, Buffalo, N.Y., 2-6-0, 4,719, $2,150
26, Nathan Bohr, Wichita, Kan., 4-4-0, 4,699, $2,170
27, Michael Haugen Jr., Cave Creek, Ariz., 4-4-0, 4,641, $2,140
28, Jason Sterner, McDonough, Ga., 1-6-1, 4,638, $2,110
29, Lonnie Waliczek, Wichita, Kan., 2-6-0, 4,635, $2,130
30, Jeff Carter, Springfield, Ill., 2-6-0, 4,617, $2,160
31, Joe Bailey, Pittsburgh, 2-6-0, 4,609, $2,120
32, Randy Weiss, Columbia, S.C., 1-6-1, 4,536, $2,100
Round of 32 - Position Round
1, Mika Koivuniemi, Hartland, Mich., 5-4-0, 5,310, $5,000
2, Wes Malott, Argyle, Texas, 5-4-0, 5,295
3, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla., 3-5-1, 5,268
4, Brad Angelo, Lockport, N.Y., 6-3-0, 5,238
5, Dino Castillo, Carrollton, Texas, 7-2-0, 5,230, $3,000
6, Jack Jurek, Lackawanna, N.Y., 7-1-1, 5,189, $3,700
7, Michael Machuga, Erie, Pa., 7-2-0, 5,182, $3,300
8, Bill O'Neill, Southampton, Pa., 6-3-0, 5,169, $3,400
9, Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, 4-5-0, 5,153
10, Jonathan Van Hees, Newport, R.I., 5-3-1, 5,150, $2,700
11, Michael Fagan, Patchogue, N.Y., 6-3-0, 5,133, $4,000
11, Ritchie Allen, Columbia, S.C., 5-4-0, 5,133, $2,800
13, Brian Kretzer, Dayton, Ohio, 5-4-0, 5,123, $2,650
14, Ryan Shafer, Horseheads, N.Y., 5-3-1, 5,103, $2,550
15, Chad Kloss, Greenfield, Wis., 8-0-1, 5,102, $2,500
16, Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., 4-5-0, 5,096, $2,600
17, Tony Reyes, San Bruno, Calif., 5-3-1, 5,092, $2,250
18, Dave D'Entremont, Middleburg Heights, Ohio, 2-7-0, 5,039, $2,240
19, Tommy Delutz Jr., Flushing, N.Y., 4-5-0, 5,038, $2,320
20, Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., 3-5-1, 5,016, $2,220
21, Steve Jaros, Yorkville, Ill., 3-5-1, 5,002, $2,210
22, Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C., 5-4-0, 4,993, $2,200
23, Mike DeVaney, San Diego, 3-6-0, 4,952, $2,190
24, Ken Simard, Greenville, S.C., 4-5-0, 4,933, $2,180
25, Nathan Bohr, Wichita, Kan., 5-4-0, 4,932, $2,170
26, Jeff Carter, Springfield, Ill., 3-6-0, 4,905, $2,160
27, Joe Ciccone, Buffalo, N.Y., 2-7-0, 4,899, $2,150
28, Michael Haugen Jr., Cave Creek, Ariz., 5-4-0, 4,881, $2,140
29, Lonnie Waliczek, Wichita, Kan., 2-7-0, 4,856, $2,130
30, Joe Bailey, Pittsburgh, 3-6-0, 4,835, $2,120
31, Jason Sterner, McDonough, Ga., 1-7-1, 4,830, $2,110
32, Randy Weiss, Columbia, S.C., 1-7-1, 4,729, $2,100
Round of 16 - Round Robin
1, Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, 11-6-0, 7,312
2, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla., 9-7-1, 7,175
3, Brad Angelo, Lockport, N.Y., 11-6-0, 7,124
4, Jack Jurek, Lackawanna, N.Y., 11-4-2, 7,096, $3,700
5, Mika Koivuniemi, Hartland, Mich., 8-9-0, 7,081, $5,000
6, Michael Machuga, Erie, Pa., 12-4-1, 7,074, $3,300
7, Bill O'Neill, Southampton, Pa., 9-8-0, 7,051, $3,400
7, Wes Malott, Argyle, Texas, 8-9-0, 7,051
9, Michael Fagan, Patchogue, N.Y., 12-4-1, 7,040, $4,000
10, Dino Castillo, Carrollton, Texas, 10-7-0, 6,976, $3,000
11, Ritchie Allen, Columbia, S.C., 9-8-0, 6,952, $2,800
12, Jonathan Van Hees, Newport, R.I., 9-6-2, 6,880, $2,700
13, Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., 6-11-0, 6,870, $2,600
14, Brian Kretzer, Dayton, Ohio, 8-9-0, 6,858, $2,650
15, Ryan Shafer, Horseheads, N.Y., 8-8-1, 6,849, $2,550
16, Chad Kloss, Greenfield, Wis., 9-7-1, 6,718, $2,500
Round of 16 - Position Round
1, Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, 12-6-0, 7,588
2, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla., 9-8-1, 7,391
3, Brad Angelo, Lockport, N.Y., 12-6-0, 7,356
4, Wes Malott, Argyle, Texas, 9-9-0, 7,349
5, Mika Koivuniemi, Hartland, Mich., 9-9-0, 7,314, $5,000
6, Michael Fagan, Patchogue, N.Y., 13-4-1, 7,303, $4,000
7, Jack Jurek, Lackawanna, N.Y., 11-5-2, 7,291, $3,700
8, Bill O'Neill, Southampton, Pa., 9-9-0, 7,275, $3,400
9, Michael Machuga, Erie, Pa., 12-5-1, 7,216, $3,300
10, Dino Castillo, Carrollton, Texas, 10-8-0, 7,201, $3,000
11, Ritchie Allen, Columbia, S.C., 9-9-0, 7,185, $2,800
12, Jonathan Van Hees, Newport, R.I., 10-6-2, 7,168, $2,700
13, Brian Kretzer, Dayton, Ohio, 9-9-0, 7,103, $2,650
14, Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., 6-12-0, 7,076, $2,600
15, Ryan Shafer, Horseheads, N.Y., 8-9-1, 7,056, $2,550
16, Chad Kloss, Greenfield, Wis., 10-7-1, 6,974, $2,500
About the PBA
The Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) features the best bowlers in the world competing in National, Regional and Senior Tour events. The organization has more than 4,000 members spanning 13 countries, and nearly one million viewers tune-in to watch the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour every Sunday on ESPN throughout the season. PBA sponsors include Bayer, Brunswick, CLR, Denny's, Etonic, Flomax, GEICO, Go RVing, H&R Block, Lumber Liquidators, Motel 6, Pepsi-Cola and the USBC, among others. For more information on the PBA, log on to www.pba.com
Loschetter, who competed for the University of Nebraska 1999-2001, went 12-6 in match play Friday to earn the top seed for Sunday’s final round.
“It's pretty special,” Loschetter said of his results. “I've never been in that position before. We did a lot of match play last year and now we're doing some different formats, so I never had to bowl only one game to win my first title. So it's exciting. I'll be excited tomorrow but then Sunday I'll get back to business.”
The right-hander is coming off his best career season, ranked eighth in the 2007-08 PBA World Point Rankings. He credits his final position to the strategy he developed while competing.
“I stayed a little farther right tonight and a lot of the guys burned up the middle of the lane and it forces you, in a way, inside the sixth arrow and I decided to stay away from that and it helped a lot,” Loschetter said.
For Sunday’s finals, however, he said it’s too early to predict a plan of attack.
“There's a lot of elements involved in TV and you never know what's going to happen,” Loschetter said. “You can be playing really far right or really far left. It depends on what other players do and the TV lights have a big effect so you kind of have to do that at that moment and decide what you want to do.”
Veteran bowler Walter Ray Williams, Jr. or Ocala, Fla. earned the number two seed. Brad Angelo, of Lockport, N.Y. took the third spot. In a miraculous comeback, Wes Malott, of Argyle, Texas was tied for seventh with one game remaining and shot 268 to catapult from seventh to fourth place and claim the last spot for Sunday’s finals.
“I was obviously very frustrated, I felt like I bowled OK but wasn’t catching the breaks,” Malott said.
“When the last game came around I felt like I lost all momentum and was kind of down but it actually kind of helped me relax. Halfway through the game I had a spare, a three-bagger, a spare and a strike. I was on the other side of the house and a couple guys came over and told me to keep it going. I got lucky late in the game. It’s pretty unbelievable. I have no clue how it (making the final) happened.”
In the Women’s Series, sponsored by the U.S. Bowling Congress (USBC), Feldman and Stefanie Nation of Miami finished No. 1 and 2, respectively, to earn spots in Sunday’s live ESPN finals. Feldman finished 7-2-0 in match play with 5,208 pins and Nation also finished at 7-2-0 with a score of 5,079.
“Actually I was surprised I did as well as I did,” Feldman said. “Yesterday, bowling across from the men is easier for me because I kind of go with them. Not that I didn’t bowl well today, but I’m a little more left than the women and it’s a lot easier.”
“It’s indescribable, it's overwhelming,” Nation said. “I really can't put in into words. I definitely had to work hard today to get there. I'm excited. I've always wanted to be on the professional women's tour. It didn't really exist when I thought I could get there. I just want to make the best of it and bring home the title.”
The live ESPN-televised finals take place Sunday, Nov. 2 at 1 p.m. EST. The top four finalists advanced to stepladder competition. No. 4 Malott will face No. 3 Angelo, the winner of that match will face No. 2 Williams Jr. and the winner of that match will face Loschetter in the championship match. The women’s championship match featuring Feldman and Nation will take place prior to the men’s championship match. It will air live on ESPN on Sunday, Oct. 26 at noon.
Round of 32 - Round Robin
1, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla., 3-4-1, 5,061
2, Wes Malott, Argyle, Texas, 4-4-0, 5,056
3, Brad Angelo, Lockport, N.Y., 6-2-0, 5,034
4, Mika Koivuniemi, Hartland, Mich., 4-4-0, 4,991, $5,000
5, Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, 4-4-0, 4,959
6, Dino Castillo, Carrollton, Texas, 6-2-0, 4,945, $3,000
7, Brian Kretzer, Dayton, Ohio, 5-3-0, 4,943, $2,650
8, Jack Jurek, Lackawanna, N.Y., 6-1-1, 4,934, $3,700
9, Michael Machuga, Erie, Pa., 6-2-0, 4,933, $3,300
10, Ritchie Allen, Columbia, S.C., 5-3-0, 4,925, $2,800
11, Michael Fagan, Patchogue, N.Y., 6-2-0, 4,921, $4,000
12, Bill O'Neill, Southampton, Pa., 5-3-0, 4,903, $3,400
13, Tony Reyes, San Bruno, Calif., 5-2-1, 4,897, $2,250
14, Jonathan Van Hees, Newport, R.I., 4-3-1, 4,887, $2,700
15, Ryan Shafer, Horseheads, N.Y., 4-3-1, 4,859, $2,550
16, Tommy Delutz Jr., Flushing, N.Y., 4-4-0, 4,836, $2,320
17, Chad Kloss, Greenfield, Wis., 7-0-1, 4,823, $2,500
18, Steve Jaros, Yorkville, Ill., 3-4-1, 4,808, $2,210
19, Dave D'Entremont, Middleburg Heights, Ohio, 2-6-0, 4,806, $2,240
20, Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., 3-5-0, 4,799, $2,600
21, Mike DeVaney, San Diego, 3-5-0, 4,737, $2,190
22, Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., 2-5-1, 4,729, $2,220
23, Ken Simard, Greenville, S.C., 4-4-0, 4,722, $2,180
24, Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C., 4-4-0, 4,721, $2,200
25, Joe Ciccone, Buffalo, N.Y., 2-6-0, 4,719, $2,150
26, Nathan Bohr, Wichita, Kan., 4-4-0, 4,699, $2,170
27, Michael Haugen Jr., Cave Creek, Ariz., 4-4-0, 4,641, $2,140
28, Jason Sterner, McDonough, Ga., 1-6-1, 4,638, $2,110
29, Lonnie Waliczek, Wichita, Kan., 2-6-0, 4,635, $2,130
30, Jeff Carter, Springfield, Ill., 2-6-0, 4,617, $2,160
31, Joe Bailey, Pittsburgh, 2-6-0, 4,609, $2,120
32, Randy Weiss, Columbia, S.C., 1-6-1, 4,536, $2,100
Round of 32 - Position Round
1, Mika Koivuniemi, Hartland, Mich., 5-4-0, 5,310, $5,000
2, Wes Malott, Argyle, Texas, 5-4-0, 5,295
3, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla., 3-5-1, 5,268
4, Brad Angelo, Lockport, N.Y., 6-3-0, 5,238
5, Dino Castillo, Carrollton, Texas, 7-2-0, 5,230, $3,000
6, Jack Jurek, Lackawanna, N.Y., 7-1-1, 5,189, $3,700
7, Michael Machuga, Erie, Pa., 7-2-0, 5,182, $3,300
8, Bill O'Neill, Southampton, Pa., 6-3-0, 5,169, $3,400
9, Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, 4-5-0, 5,153
10, Jonathan Van Hees, Newport, R.I., 5-3-1, 5,150, $2,700
11, Michael Fagan, Patchogue, N.Y., 6-3-0, 5,133, $4,000
11, Ritchie Allen, Columbia, S.C., 5-4-0, 5,133, $2,800
13, Brian Kretzer, Dayton, Ohio, 5-4-0, 5,123, $2,650
14, Ryan Shafer, Horseheads, N.Y., 5-3-1, 5,103, $2,550
15, Chad Kloss, Greenfield, Wis., 8-0-1, 5,102, $2,500
16, Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., 4-5-0, 5,096, $2,600
17, Tony Reyes, San Bruno, Calif., 5-3-1, 5,092, $2,250
18, Dave D'Entremont, Middleburg Heights, Ohio, 2-7-0, 5,039, $2,240
19, Tommy Delutz Jr., Flushing, N.Y., 4-5-0, 5,038, $2,320
20, Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., 3-5-1, 5,016, $2,220
21, Steve Jaros, Yorkville, Ill., 3-5-1, 5,002, $2,210
22, Tommy Jones, Simpsonville, S.C., 5-4-0, 4,993, $2,200
23, Mike DeVaney, San Diego, 3-6-0, 4,952, $2,190
24, Ken Simard, Greenville, S.C., 4-5-0, 4,933, $2,180
25, Nathan Bohr, Wichita, Kan., 5-4-0, 4,932, $2,170
26, Jeff Carter, Springfield, Ill., 3-6-0, 4,905, $2,160
27, Joe Ciccone, Buffalo, N.Y., 2-7-0, 4,899, $2,150
28, Michael Haugen Jr., Cave Creek, Ariz., 5-4-0, 4,881, $2,140
29, Lonnie Waliczek, Wichita, Kan., 2-7-0, 4,856, $2,130
30, Joe Bailey, Pittsburgh, 3-6-0, 4,835, $2,120
31, Jason Sterner, McDonough, Ga., 1-7-1, 4,830, $2,110
32, Randy Weiss, Columbia, S.C., 1-7-1, 4,729, $2,100
Round of 16 - Round Robin
1, Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, 11-6-0, 7,312
2, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla., 9-7-1, 7,175
3, Brad Angelo, Lockport, N.Y., 11-6-0, 7,124
4, Jack Jurek, Lackawanna, N.Y., 11-4-2, 7,096, $3,700
5, Mika Koivuniemi, Hartland, Mich., 8-9-0, 7,081, $5,000
6, Michael Machuga, Erie, Pa., 12-4-1, 7,074, $3,300
7, Bill O'Neill, Southampton, Pa., 9-8-0, 7,051, $3,400
7, Wes Malott, Argyle, Texas, 8-9-0, 7,051
9, Michael Fagan, Patchogue, N.Y., 12-4-1, 7,040, $4,000
10, Dino Castillo, Carrollton, Texas, 10-7-0, 6,976, $3,000
11, Ritchie Allen, Columbia, S.C., 9-8-0, 6,952, $2,800
12, Jonathan Van Hees, Newport, R.I., 9-6-2, 6,880, $2,700
13, Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., 6-11-0, 6,870, $2,600
14, Brian Kretzer, Dayton, Ohio, 8-9-0, 6,858, $2,650
15, Ryan Shafer, Horseheads, N.Y., 8-8-1, 6,849, $2,550
16, Chad Kloss, Greenfield, Wis., 9-7-1, 6,718, $2,500
Round of 16 - Position Round
1, Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio, 12-6-0, 7,588
2, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla., 9-8-1, 7,391
3, Brad Angelo, Lockport, N.Y., 12-6-0, 7,356
4, Wes Malott, Argyle, Texas, 9-9-0, 7,349
5, Mika Koivuniemi, Hartland, Mich., 9-9-0, 7,314, $5,000
6, Michael Fagan, Patchogue, N.Y., 13-4-1, 7,303, $4,000
7, Jack Jurek, Lackawanna, N.Y., 11-5-2, 7,291, $3,700
8, Bill O'Neill, Southampton, Pa., 9-9-0, 7,275, $3,400
9, Michael Machuga, Erie, Pa., 12-5-1, 7,216, $3,300
10, Dino Castillo, Carrollton, Texas, 10-8-0, 7,201, $3,000
11, Ritchie Allen, Columbia, S.C., 9-9-0, 7,185, $2,800
12, Jonathan Van Hees, Newport, R.I., 10-6-2, 7,168, $2,700
13, Brian Kretzer, Dayton, Ohio, 9-9-0, 7,103, $2,650
14, Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., 6-12-0, 7,076, $2,600
15, Ryan Shafer, Horseheads, N.Y., 8-9-1, 7,056, $2,550
16, Chad Kloss, Greenfield, Wis., 10-7-1, 6,974, $2,500
About the PBA
The Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) features the best bowlers in the world competing in National, Regional and Senior Tour events. The organization has more than 4,000 members spanning 13 countries, and nearly one million viewers tune-in to watch the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour every Sunday on ESPN throughout the season. PBA sponsors include Bayer, Brunswick, CLR, Denny's, Etonic, Flomax, GEICO, Go RVing, H&R Block, Lumber Liquidators, Motel 6, Pepsi-Cola and the USBC, among others. For more information on the PBA, log on to www.pba.com