Edwardsville bowling coach Craig Olhau may not be dreaming of championship banners, but he'd surprised if the Tigers don't show signs of progress in 2011-12.
"We didn't have any state qualifiers last season, which is kind of disappointing," Ohlau said. "The boys finished fifth in the sectional and the girls finished sixth, so we're looking to improve on that this year.
"For the boys, it would be a feat to qualify (for state) as a team due to our inexperience, but I think we have some individuals who have a pretty good shot of making it to state. On the girls side, I think we should compete pretty well in the Southwestern Conference."
The girls have three returning starters in senior Kallie Schipkowski and Sammie Hayes and sophomore Megan Mayo. Junior Laura Linck and sophomore Mary Garner round out the top five. Junior Katie Reising and sophomore Tantiyana Bacon could also see varsity action.
Sophomore Ben Paolucci is the only returning starter for the boys. He will be joined by seniors Steven Hillmer and Shawn Kerr and juniors Micheal Laws and Logan Sahuri. Senior Hunter Faust is the No. 6 bowler.
The Tiger boys opened the season Saturday in the Kahok Invitational at Camelot Bowl in Collinsville, placing 21st among 26 teams. Kerr (54th, 1088) and Paolucci (55th, 1087) were the top finishers for Edwardsville.
The boys and girls open conference action Nov. 22 against Belleville East at Bel-Air Bowl, with the girls competing in the Kahok Team Challenge Nov. 26 at Camelot Bowl.
"In the conference, you know that Collinsville, East, O"Fallon and (Belleville) West are always going to be tough, but we'll do our best," Ohlau said. "One of the goals for the girls is to make it to state and that's within reach if we progress throughout the year.
"For the guys, we just want to get better and see where the pins stand at the end of the season."
