HENDERSON, Nev. - Team USA swept the silver and gold medals in the women's doubles Thursday at the 2013 World Tenpin Bowling Association World Championships.

Stefanie Nation and Shannon O'Keefe defeated teammates Missy Parkin and Kelly Kulick, 482-438, in the gold-medal match at Sunset Station's Strike Zone Bowling Center. Venezuela's Karen Marcano and Alicia Marcano shared the bronze medal with Australia's Ann-Maree Putney and Carol Gianotti.

Nation and O'Keefe built a 30-pin lead in the championship match and secured the win when O'Keefe struck in the final frame. Nation fired a 258 game, while O'Keefe shot 224. Kulick had 245, and Parkin shot 193.

"Obviously you want to win, but when you bowl your teammates it takes a little of the pressure off because you know your country is going to win no matter what," O'Keefe said. "It's hard to describe what it feels like to do what you love and represent your country like this."

Nation threw seven strikes in a row from the second frame to the eighth in the title match and bowled a clean game en route to the gold medal.

"Winning a gold medal for your country is amazing, and this just feels awesome," Nation said. "At the end of the day, we wanted the U.S. to win and that's what happened."

In the semifinals, Kulick fired the first 300 game by a woman in this year's World Championships as she and Parkin defeated the Venezuelans, 483-373. O'Keefe and Nation advanced to the final match by knocking off the Australians, 469-430.

The four teams advanced to the semifinals by virtue of their performances in the six games of qualifying earlier in the day. The Marcano sisters fired a blistering 2,880, a 240 average, to lead the qualifying. The score was just 21 pins short of the World Championships record.

The action shifts to the first round of the men's trios event Friday at the World Championships. All rounds of the World Championships are being broadcast live on BOWL.com's BowlTV.

For more information on the WTBA World Championships, visit BOWL.com/World2013.

 
2013 WTBA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
At Sunset Station's Strike Zone Bowling Center, Henderson, Nev.
Thursday's results

WOMEN'S DOUBLES

CHAMPIONSHIP
(Winner earns gold, loser gets silver)

Stefanie Nation/Shannon O'Keefe, United States def. Missy Parkin/Kelly Kulick, United States, 482-438

SEMIFINALS
(Winners advance, losers tie for bronze)

Nation/O'Keefe def. Ann-Maree Putney/Carol Gianotti, Australia, 469-430
Parkin/Kulick def. Karen Marcano/Alicia Marcano, Venezuela, 483-373