Local bowlers find early success in Reno at 2021 USBC Women's Championships

RENO, Nev. - The trip to the 2021 United States Bowling Congress Women's Championships may have been a short one for Debra King of Verdi, Nevada, and Cindy Dayton of Reno, Nevada, but they're hoping for an extended stay at the top of the leaderboard after a strong performance Sunday in the Ruby Division.

The duo kicked off competition at the National Bowling Stadium by setting the pace in Ruby Doubles with a 1,201 combined total, and King continued strong to take over the top spot in Ruby Singles (619) and Ruby All-Events (1,788).

The 2021 USBC Women's Championships started its 73-day run at the NBS on Friday and will run until July 4. More than 2,700 teams are expected to make their way to compete in The Biggest Little City in the World.

King and Dayton have been bowling together for several years and believe their familiarity with each other's games helped them Sunday. Dayton led the pair with games of 208, 214 and 256 for a 678 series, and King added 174, 157 and 192 for 523.

Adding to the excitement of seeing their names at the top of the standings was the return to the NBS for the first time since the 78-lane venue had undergone a $4.5 million renovation.

"It's great to be back, since we haven't been here since the renovation - it looks great," said Dayton, who added sets of 664 in singles and 523 in team for a 1,865 all-events total in the Diamond Division. "We've bowled together a lot and really know each other's games. It's a pretty good doubles strategy."

King echoed the sentiment in teamwork, and she also felt the eagerness to compete again helped her to the lead in three divisions. She added a 646 set in team competition Saturday to take her place at the top of the Ruby All-Events standings.

Now, she'll wait to see if the scores are able to hold up and if she can add a title at the Women's Championships just a couple of miles from home.

"I'm not sure, but maybe the lack of tournament bowling helped me to really stay focused," King said. "It's really good to be back. I would love to have this as part of what I accomplished in my bowling career."

Ruby Singles and Ruby All-Events features bowlers with entering averages of 161-174, while Diamond All-Events includes bowlers with averages of 175 and above. Ruby Doubles features combined entering averages of 322-349.