GATES, N.Y. – Angela Glaser of Lockport, New York, defeated Karsyn Lukosius of Jackson, New Jersey, 270-223, in the title match of the Professional Women’s Bowling Association Rochester Regional at ABC Gates Bowl in Gates, New York.
Glaser denied Lukosius her fourth PWBA Regional win of the year with one ball and a simple gameplan.
“I am capable of physically manipulating (the ball), so I just did that and used it to my advantage,” said Glaser, “I had to just let the ball do the work.”
The right-handed Glaser qualified as the No. 2 seed in the stepladder, where she faced reigning PWBA Regional Showdown champion, Kerry Smith of Lititz, Pennsylvania, in the semifinal match.
Carry issues reared their head early for Smith, leaving five single pins in the first six frames. Glaser started the game with an open, but settled in shortly after, notching eight strikes over the final nine shots of the match to end up with 237. Smith made an adjustment in the final frames, but it was too little, too late for her as Smith ended with a 223 and a third-place finish, earning her $750.
The title match was all Glaser, who went spare, strike, spare to start the match, then slammed the door on any chance for Lukosius to win with the final nine strikes for a 270, the win, $1,900 and an automatic check at the Regional Showdown. Lukosius threw 11 quality shots, but a few single pin spares sunk her chances at a fourth regional win, ending up with 227 and $950 for second place.
Glaser’s mindset was that it was her versus the world. She didn’t worry about who her opponent was, only was what in front of her and shaking off the first and only open she had to start her advance towards the win.
“I’m going to go and I’m going to show up,” Glaser said. “As long as I keep my mindset like that, I’m not going to screw up and I’m going to make the best shots I can.”
That type of thinking might help her at the Regional Showdown should she decide to make the trip to Florida in December.
“I would love to be there, especially in December when it’s gray here,” she said with a chuckle.
To start the stepladder, Smith and Canada’s Jennifer Besana faced off. Both bowlers started strong and kept pace with one another, but a fatal gutter by Besana in the eighth frame put her behind and unable to recover. Smith advanced with a 227 while Besana finished with a 203 and $600 for her fourth-place finish.
The 2024 PWBA Regional Tour season concludes with the Regional Showdown, Dec. 5-7, in Winter Park, Florida. All regional winners from this season will automatically be seeded into match play, with the remaining spots being filled after an eight-game qualifying block. The winner will not only win a cash prize but have their 2025 PWBA National Tour entry fees paid for.
