Midlothian, Va. (Nov. 2, 2026)- Virginia State's women's bowling team earned victories over Virginia Union and Bowie State in Baker match play at the VUU Invitational, finishing that portion of the competition with a 2-1 record. 

Janaya Ward led Virginia State in traditional competition, rolling a team-high 200 in her final game. Ward totaled 818 pins across five games for a 163.6 average, with a 188 adding to her strong individual performance. 

Virginia State opened Baker match play with a 4-2 loss to Bowie State before responding with a 4-2 victory over Virginia Union. In that win, VSU captured the opening game 142-117 and secured the match with consecutive victories of 146-144 and 129-113. 

The final match brought another meeting with Bowie State and a closely contested finish. Virginia State won the first two games, 162-117 and 135-112, before Bowie State answered with a 138-94 victory. VSU took the fourth game 123-100, and the teams tied the fifth at 145. 

Bowie State claimed the next two games to force a tiebreaker. Virginia State then delivered a 143-113 win, securing the match by a recorded margin of 4.5-3.5. 

Madison Jones, Mackenzie Miller, Serenity Price Jackson, Rylie Banks and Audriana Jenkins also contributed during match play as Virginia State closed that segment with consecutive victories.