“I came in and I was pumped and I was ready,” Herzberg said.
Herzberg ended up earning her initial tournament win, but it was her performance that stood out. The junior shot an 805 series aided by two games of 279 to lift the Blue Aces to the Greater Wichita Athletic League tournament title. East’s victory also forced a tie for league champion with Bishop Carroll at 17 points apiece.
Bishop Carroll gave Herzberg motivation to bowl well when it beat East in a Feb. 6 triangular. The left-hander encouraged her teammates Saturday to flip the result in the Blue Aces’ favor.
“I said, ‘Girls, we can do this. This is our day and we are going to win,’ ” Herzberg stated.
Kayla Steelsmith contributed a 596 series to help East finish with a score of 2,503, which was 120 pins better than Bishop Carroll. Wichita South wound up third after compiling a 2,226, followed by Wichita Heights and Wichita Northwest.
Individually, Herzberg was well ahead of the competition. Bishop Carroll’s Hollyann Johansen came in second with a 619 series. Cheyenne Grace of Northwest finished five pins behind Johansen, and South’s Sam Steffen (609) and Bishop Carroll’s Kaitlin Johnson (606) rounded out the top five.
Herzberg got off to a rough start as she left her first frame of the tournament open. The junior regrouped to finish with eight strikes and two spares for a 247 total.
Herzberg had her best chance at perfection in the second game. She strung together nine straight strikes before leaving a pin on her 10th throw. Herzberg picked up the spare and ended with a strike for a 279, which tied her best score for a game.
The left-hander began the third game with seven strikes and then could only knock down nine pins in the eighth frame. Herzberg got the spare and closed the final game with four strikes to reach 279 again.
After her final throw, Herzberg wasn’t even thinking about an 800 series. Then came the loud applause from the crowd, as well as the numerous hugs and compliments.
“When everybody was cheering I looked up, saw an 805 and I couldn’t believe it,” Herzberg said. “I just started crying … It’s a great feeling.”
Herzberg’s best series this year before Saturday was a 680. She felt she was having an average season prior to the tournament and had hoped to do better.
“I didn’t perform to my best standards, so today I really wanted to prove myself and show everybody what I can do,” Herzberg said.
Bishop Carroll coach Jim Nance took notice of what Herzberg can do, especially since her performance kept the Eagles from taking the league championship outright.
“That girl was just so outstanding,” Nance said. “It was going to be tough to beat them when you’ve got something like that.”
Nance was pleased that his girls stayed focused on finishing high in the tournament standings so they could have a chance at the league title. Three Eagles had scores in the top 15, including Rachel Rotramell’s 555, helping Bishop Carroll secure second place ahead of South.
