California bowler leads Ruby All-Events at 2026 Women’s Championships
May 23, 2026
LAS VEGAS – A late string of strikes helped Lisa Ross of Pacoima, California, claim the lead in Ruby All-Events at the 2026 United States Bowling Congress Women’s Championships with a 1,777 total.
After posting a 559 series in team Friday at the South Point Bowling Plaza, Ross returned Saturday to roll scores of 617 in doubles and 601 in singles. Rebecca Greenwood of Citrus Heights, California, took the lead Friday with 1,770.
Ross needed 195 in her final game to take the outright lead and started with a couple of early opens. After a spare in the sixth frame, she was able to deliver the final six strikes to get to 201 and the top of the leaderboard.
She was bowling alongside her daughter, Katheren Sterling, and spent a couple of frames focusing on helping her after a spill impacted her bowling shoes. Once Ross knew she was good, she went back to work and started striking down the stretch.
“My daughter was bowling with us and had a spill,” Ross said. “She had to borrow some stuff from me and change her slide sole, so for a couple frames my brain was in a different place. When I was able to focus and move forward, that’s where it came through.
“It was amazing – I had no clue I had a chance for that lead. I thought I had lost it considering my second game. All of my second games kind of went down compared to my first game. I thought maybe I had a chance to be near the top but not as the leader.”
She’s picked up some extra leagues at home to help build her endurance for tournaments like this and focused on a few key items to make sure she was at her best at the USBC Women’s Championships.
“Making sure I stayed with my form and stayed behind the ball,” said Ross, who made her third appearance at the tournament. “That was my problem a little bit yesterday. I didn’t do bad but I kind of got away from my form and my concentration was a little off. Today, I focused on trying to stay with what I know.”
Her support system also is second to none. In addition to bowling with her daughter, Ross’ husband, Gary, also was in attendance along with several others.
“To be able to be around friends and family with that kind of support helps a lot when you’re going through these kinds of tournaments,” Ross said. “You couldn’t buy that kind of support. Their support kind of helps me elevate my own game – it gives me confidence to be able to move forward. I don’t know if I could do that without that support.”
Ross may take a couple of days to take in her performance, but she’s proud of her showing at the Women’s Championships. Now, she’ll wait and see if it’s enough to claim her first gemstone trophy at the event.
“I actually haven’t had that sink in yet … it’s probably going to take me a couple days before I actually start thinking about it,” Ross said. “Being at the top after three years is astounding. I didn’t realize I’d have a chance of doing that. It’s kind of amazing.”
Ruby All-Events includes bowlers with entering averages of 156-175.
The Women’s Championships is celebrating its 106th edition in 2026 and making its sixth trip to Las Vegas. The 2026 event is scheduled to feature more than 16,000 bowlers and 4,200 four-player teams competing across 65 consecutive days at the South Point Bowling Plaza.
Follow the action from the tournament’s official Facebook and Instagram accounts.
After posting a 559 series in team Friday at the South Point Bowling Plaza, Ross returned Saturday to roll scores of 617 in doubles and 601 in singles. Rebecca Greenwood of Citrus Heights, California, took the lead Friday with 1,770.
Ross needed 195 in her final game to take the outright lead and started with a couple of early opens. After a spare in the sixth frame, she was able to deliver the final six strikes to get to 201 and the top of the leaderboard.
She was bowling alongside her daughter, Katheren Sterling, and spent a couple of frames focusing on helping her after a spill impacted her bowling shoes. Once Ross knew she was good, she went back to work and started striking down the stretch.
“My daughter was bowling with us and had a spill,” Ross said. “She had to borrow some stuff from me and change her slide sole, so for a couple frames my brain was in a different place. When I was able to focus and move forward, that’s where it came through.
“It was amazing – I had no clue I had a chance for that lead. I thought I had lost it considering my second game. All of my second games kind of went down compared to my first game. I thought maybe I had a chance to be near the top but not as the leader.”
She’s picked up some extra leagues at home to help build her endurance for tournaments like this and focused on a few key items to make sure she was at her best at the USBC Women’s Championships.
“Making sure I stayed with my form and stayed behind the ball,” said Ross, who made her third appearance at the tournament. “That was my problem a little bit yesterday. I didn’t do bad but I kind of got away from my form and my concentration was a little off. Today, I focused on trying to stay with what I know.”
Her support system also is second to none. In addition to bowling with her daughter, Ross’ husband, Gary, also was in attendance along with several others.
“To be able to be around friends and family with that kind of support helps a lot when you’re going through these kinds of tournaments,” Ross said. “You couldn’t buy that kind of support. Their support kind of helps me elevate my own game – it gives me confidence to be able to move forward. I don’t know if I could do that without that support.”
Ross may take a couple of days to take in her performance, but she’s proud of her showing at the Women’s Championships. Now, she’ll wait and see if it’s enough to claim her first gemstone trophy at the event.
“I actually haven’t had that sink in yet … it’s probably going to take me a couple days before I actually start thinking about it,” Ross said. “Being at the top after three years is astounding. I didn’t realize I’d have a chance of doing that. It’s kind of amazing.”
Ruby All-Events includes bowlers with entering averages of 156-175.
The Women’s Championships is celebrating its 106th edition in 2026 and making its sixth trip to Las Vegas. The 2026 event is scheduled to feature more than 16,000 bowlers and 4,200 four-player teams competing across 65 consecutive days at the South Point Bowling Plaza.
Follow the action from the tournament’s official Facebook and Instagram accounts.