The Upper Iowa women's bowling team returned to the lanes this weekend to compete in the Columbia 300 Saints Invite. The event, hosted by Maryville University, took place at Bowlero Lakeside in Valley Park, Missouri.
 
Twelve teams participated in the event, including seven teams from the NTCA top-15 preseason poll. The tournament's format consisted of five team Baker matches on Friday, five traditional team matches on Saturday, and wrapped up with one last traditional match before bracket play on Sunday.
 
The Peacocks finished in ninth place with a record of 6-7 over the course of the three days. They knocked over 4,352 pins in the team Baker matches, 4,907 pins in the traditional matches, and 1,984 pins during bracket play for a tournament total of 11,243 pins.
 
On Friday, UIU opened play with wins over Illinois Wesleyan University and the University of Central Missouri. However, further matchups vs. ranked opposition halted the team's momentum as they finished 2-3 on the day.
 
On Saturday, the Peacocks picked up a couple of more wins over Spalding University and Lincoln Memorial University. Individually, UIU were led by Dana Murata, who finished inside the top 30 among all bowlers with a total of 1,058 pins in six games and an average of 176.33 pins per game. She was followed by Amber Wagner, who recorded a total of 1,001 pins in six games, and Aubrey Kiddle, who finished with a score of 985 pins in six games.
 
On Sunday, a loss to Tusculum University meant UIU would need two consecutive wins to secure the best possible outcome of a ninth-place finish. The Peacocks eked out a victory in six games over Spalding to set up a rematch vs. North Central College. Despite losing to the Cardinals the day prior, the Peacocks rose to the challenge and won the match in six games.
 
"I'm proud of the team for how they were able to finish the competition," said Head Coach Nichole DePaul. "The pattern got the best of us this weekend as we struggled with execution and spare shooting. We'll take advantage of having next week off to regroup and refocus for our next event."