WEST CHESTER TWP. — Reese Volk knows the winning formula for the Lakota West High School girls bowling team’s recent success.
And it has nothing to do with strategy or mechanics.
“We just make jokes. We have fun. We like to laugh a lot,” said Volk, a senior. “We create jokes with everybody. We just like to laugh. We have a good time at matches when we make each other laugh.”
It’s easy for the Firebirds to enjoy the current season when they’re 12-0 and on a 35-game head-to-head regular season win streak that spans back to 2021-2022.
Lakota West has five bowlers in the top 13 of the Greater Miami Conference. Volk bowls a 182.6 average, which ranks first in conference by eight pins.
“The season has been awesome. I’m super excited about it,” Volk said. “The team is doing awesome right now. We’re undefeated after our last undefeated season. So we’re hoping to keep that rolling. We had a couple hiccups, but we pull each other together. We have a great time at practice and in matches. It’s been really awesome.”
Senior Stephanie Provchy (166.9) is fifth in the GMC, followed by freshman Addison Hoelscher (165.5, sixth), freshman Abigail Hoelscher (162.1, seventh) and senior Maya Simpson (151.6, 13th).
“Our girls in general put in a lot of work. They work really hard at practice,” Lakota West assistant coach Drew Gay said. “They buy in to the mechanics and do it. They do what it takes to win. All of the girls work so hard. They’ll be hard to beat.”
The Firebirds haven’t lost a regular season head-to-head match since Feb. 8, 2022 — when they fell to Ross and when Volk, Provchy and Simpson were sophomores.
The motto since then has been simple.
“Spares win games,” Volk said. “It’s math. You get the strikes, and you get the spares. If you’re not going to get your spares, that can turn a 180 into a 230 if you just pick up your spares that game.
“We love our spares,” Gay added. “Everybody loves strikes, and that scores the most. But you have to pick up spares. We love them. I say that all the time.
“Strike for show and spare for dough.”
Gay said the team has been eyeing its Wednesday match against Oak Hills, which is tied with Lakota West for first in the GMC standings at 6-0.
“This is big,” Gay said. “We’ve been thinking about this match. They work all year for this moment, and it’s at Oak Hills. The girls have been bowling better at away matches than at Gilmore Lanes, which has real wood. That’s harder to bowl on.
“I think the girls are ready to step out there and show that they’re good at wherever they bowl. They’re going to rise to the occasion.”
LEADING THE SWBL
The Ross girls bowling team is 9-1 overall and 3-0 atop the Southwestern Buckeye League standings. Leading the way for the Rams are Karsen Power (163.7), Candence Angilecchia (162.2), Alyssa Roe (161), Ashley Farris (160.2) and Nicole Hanson (155.8).
IN THE KNOW
Fairfield’s Malaysia Logan sits fourth in the GMC averaging a 167. … Cincinnati Christian’s Brooklyn Porter is bowling a 172.7, which leads the Miami Valley Conference. The Cougars are 6-2 overall and 5-2 in the MVC. … Badin’s Katie Singleton (152) and Tori Singleton (141.6) are second and fifth in the Greater Catholic League Coed, respectively.
