The bowling team beat the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, 4-3, in the finals of the NCAA Women's Bowling Championship to give Vanderbilt its first-ever national championship in the team's third season.

Needing 14 pins, freshman Josie Earnest bowled two strikes in the 10th frame to clinch the match for the Dores and win the first team championship in any sport for Vanderbilt.

"It's amazing to think that we could do this in three years," coach John Williamson said. "It's a dream for the girls, it's a dream for the administration and a reward for all their support. It's a bit overwhelming right now."

The higher-seeded Commodores chose to bowl in the left lane in the final game, a lane that gave them trouble earlier in the game but had housed the winners of the previous three games.

Michelle Peloquin led off the game with a strike, Tara Kane bowled an eight and Karen Grygiel bowled another strike for an early Vandy advantage. A spare from Mandy Keily set the stage for Earnest to give Vanderbilt a big lead, but she was faced with a split and pulled a nine to salvage the frame.

With a chance to take the advantage, UMES rolled a gutter ball with one pin on the lane, and the Commodores had a plus-eight advantage at the break.

Peloquin and Kane followed with back-to-back strikes, but UMES would not go away, responding with a strike and spare.

Grygiel's spare was countered with a strike, but Keily rolled a strike to put Vanderbilt in the driver's seat. This set the stage for the tournament MVP Earnest, who clinched the match and national title for the Dores.

"This is something that I've dreamt about for a long time, and I'm just happy that I was able to be a part of it," Earnest said. "I knew that I had wanted to be in that moment the entire season, and when I got there I just focused on making good throws and just hoped those pins would fall."

Down 3-2 entering the sixth game, UMES would not go down without a fight, and a strike in the fourth frame was the first of six straight for UMES, who clinched the game in the ninth frame and sent the championship to a final game showdown with the score locked at 3-3. The Commodores finished eight of their frames but could not find the strikes necessary to overcome UMES' streak.

"There were definitely nerves, and anyone who has ever competed for a championship is lying if they say they aren't nervous," Grygiel said. "No matter how hard you try, you just can't simulate the atmosphere, you just have to experience it and never let the lows get you down. We bounced back from splits and bad breaks all week. Our ability to recover from setbacks was the difference."

The Commodores opened the fifth match with four strikes, building an early lead they were able to maintain through the game. Sophomore Tara Kane's insertion into the lineup seemed to spark the Dores, and freshman Josie Earnest clinched the match with a 10th frame spare and nine, leaving Vandy a match away from the championship.

"We didn't get rattled - well maybe a little bit," Peloquin said after being named to the all-tournament team. "We might have gotten a bit too comfortable when we got that 2-0 lead. It wasn't overconfidence, but when they tied it we didn't get frazzled. We just knew we were back to square one."

UMES won the third and fourth matches, building a large lead in the third game and clinching the win early. Vandy had chances throughout the fourth, but too many open frames led to a 10th frame clinch for Eastern Shore.

The Commodores built on their momentum coming from the first game and bowled six straight strikes in the middle of their second game, rolling to an easy 242-166 win and a 2-0 advantage, after a narrow 167-165 win in the first game.

"Right now I can't put this championship into proper perspective," Williamson said. "To win the first national team championship in school history is special. Our student-athletes worked so hard, our coaches worked hard, and this victory on national television is validation that the effort was worthwhile."

While in recent years multiple Vanderbilt teams have been on the cusp of a title, the 2007 bowling championship will go down as the first-ever team championship for a Vanderbilt sports team.

Baseball coach Tim Corbin, who gave the bowlers an inspirational speech prior to their departure, is certainly one of many Commodore coaches who hope this championship will be a starting point for others.

For now, the bowling team has earned their place in the record books, and with their top seven players returning, the future looks bright for the Commodores.