U.S. girls advance to team final, will bowl for gold at 2026 IBF World Youth Championships
July 03, 2026
(From left to right) Gianna Brandolino of Channahon, Illinois; Elizabeth Teuber of Holly, Michigan; Katelyn Abigania of San Diego and Erin Klemencic of Powder Springs, Georgia, did Junior Team USA proud at the 2026 IBF World Youth Championships in Malaysia on Friday, leading qualifying, surviving a roll-off and completing a semifinal sweep to earn a berth in the Girls' Team gold-medal match against Singapore.
FULL RESULTS
ARLINGTON, Texas – Junior Team USA’s girls’ squad had quite the day at the 2026 International Bowling Federation World Youth Championships in Malaysia on Friday, leading qualifying, surviving a roll-off and completing a semifinal sweep to earn a berth in the Girls’ Team gold-medal match.
The foursome of Katelyn Abigania of San Diego, Gianna Brandolino of Channahon, Illinois; Erin Klemencic of Powder Springs, Georgia; and Elizabeth Teuber of Holly, Michigan, started their day at Megalanes Sarawak Bowling Centre in dominant fashion, putting up a 10-game Baker team total of 2,145 (a 214.5 average), which they arrived at thanks to scores of 201, 212, 225, 212, 213, 237, 198, 210, 248 and 189.
That effort allowed the Americans to secure first place in the 19-team qualifying field, finishing nearly 100 pins ahead of second-place Singapore (2,047) and more than 125 pins clear of Korea, which qualified third at 2,018.
Abigania, Brandolino, Klemencic and Teuber were even stronger during round-robin match play, where they put up scores of 247, 214, 248, 207 and 225 in their five wins and 186 and 191 during two losses, finishing with a 5-2 record and an average of 216.9.
Unfortunately for Junior Team USA, Malaysia led Girls’ Team Match Play Group A with a 6-1 mark, and Finland and the Czech Republic matched the Americans at 5-2. Since only two teams from each group could advance, that meant that a three-team roll-off would need to take place to determine who would move on to the semifinals.
Some bowlers would’ve been intimidated heading into a one-game, do-or-die scenario like that, but not Brandolino; she relished the opportunity.
“I was feeling excited going into the roll-off because it meant we still had a chance to get a medal,” Brandolino said. “We bowled really well the entire day, so we deserved to be there.”
Brandolino and company officially secured that medal by winning the bonus game with a hard-fought score of 187. Finland and the Czech Republic managed 177 and 171, respectively, ending their bids for the podium while sending Junior Team USA through to the semifinals.
There, the Americans would battle Australia – which won Group B with a record of 5-2 – while Malaysia took on Singapore (4-3).
Singapore earned the second advancing spot in Group B by putting up a score of 226 to win a four-team roll-off against Japan (220), Korea (220) and Germany (160).
By reaching the semifinals, Abigania, Brandolino, Klemencic and Teuber were guaranteed no worse than a bronze-medal finish, which was exactly what male counterparts Jacob Bockstie of Nottingham, Maryland; Josh Hammons of Topeka, Kansas; Landin Jordan of Sycamore, Illinois; and Dawson Peterson of Stewartville, Minnesota, secured for Junior Team USA during Boys’ Team competition on Thursday.
The American women sought an even high step on the podium, however, and they reached it by topping Australia by scores of 225-208 and 244-166 to earn a berth in the gold-medal match. Their opponent will be Singapore, which punched its ticket to the Girls’ Team final after taking down Malaysia 2-1 (202-176; 194-216; 210-199).
Klemencic has competed on some of bowling’s biggest stages while representing her country and during collegiate competition as a member of the powerhouse team from Jacksonville State University. Now, she is thrilled at having the chance to bowl for team gold in Malaysia.
“This environment is similar to what I’ve seen and experienced while competing for collegiate national championships because it’s basically the biggest thing you can win,” Klemencic said. “Still, the IBF Word Youth Championships is a unique tournament, so I’m excited to see what we can do in the finals.”
No matter how the final match plays out, whatever the American women do, they’ll do together. According to Abigania, that’s what’s gotten the squad this far in Sarawak.
“I think that our camaraderie off the lanes has definitely shown on the lanes,” Abigaia said. “Just showing up for each other, whether that’s hanging out or getting something to eat, those little things have helped us remember that we’re here and doing this together.”
The Junior Team USA contingent will have the opportunity to spend more time on the lanes together on Saturday during the first three rounds of mixed team competition.
Teuber is hopeful heading into the event.
“We’re just going to keep doing what we’ve been doing, sticking together, playing our own game and seeing what we can make out of it,” Teuber said. “Our expectations are high.”
The mixed team finalists will be determined on Saturday with singles and doubles semifinal action following in both divisions on Sunday.
The final day of competition will be the most extensive, however, as Monday’s docket will see the finals play out in all four events, singles, doubles, team and mixed team.
Once the final shots have been delivered and medals conferred, the Victory Banquet will officially bring the 2026 IBF World Youth Championships to a close on Monday night.
CLICK HERE for more information on Junior Team USA.
FULL RESULTS
ARLINGTON, Texas – Junior Team USA’s girls’ squad had quite the day at the 2026 International Bowling Federation World Youth Championships in Malaysia on Friday, leading qualifying, surviving a roll-off and completing a semifinal sweep to earn a berth in the Girls’ Team gold-medal match.
The foursome of Katelyn Abigania of San Diego, Gianna Brandolino of Channahon, Illinois; Erin Klemencic of Powder Springs, Georgia; and Elizabeth Teuber of Holly, Michigan, started their day at Megalanes Sarawak Bowling Centre in dominant fashion, putting up a 10-game Baker team total of 2,145 (a 214.5 average), which they arrived at thanks to scores of 201, 212, 225, 212, 213, 237, 198, 210, 248 and 189.
That effort allowed the Americans to secure first place in the 19-team qualifying field, finishing nearly 100 pins ahead of second-place Singapore (2,047) and more than 125 pins clear of Korea, which qualified third at 2,018.
Abigania, Brandolino, Klemencic and Teuber were even stronger during round-robin match play, where they put up scores of 247, 214, 248, 207 and 225 in their five wins and 186 and 191 during two losses, finishing with a 5-2 record and an average of 216.9.
Unfortunately for Junior Team USA, Malaysia led Girls’ Team Match Play Group A with a 6-1 mark, and Finland and the Czech Republic matched the Americans at 5-2. Since only two teams from each group could advance, that meant that a three-team roll-off would need to take place to determine who would move on to the semifinals.
Some bowlers would’ve been intimidated heading into a one-game, do-or-die scenario like that, but not Brandolino; she relished the opportunity.
“I was feeling excited going into the roll-off because it meant we still had a chance to get a medal,” Brandolino said. “We bowled really well the entire day, so we deserved to be there.”
Brandolino and company officially secured that medal by winning the bonus game with a hard-fought score of 187. Finland and the Czech Republic managed 177 and 171, respectively, ending their bids for the podium while sending Junior Team USA through to the semifinals.
There, the Americans would battle Australia – which won Group B with a record of 5-2 – while Malaysia took on Singapore (4-3).
Singapore earned the second advancing spot in Group B by putting up a score of 226 to win a four-team roll-off against Japan (220), Korea (220) and Germany (160).
By reaching the semifinals, Abigania, Brandolino, Klemencic and Teuber were guaranteed no worse than a bronze-medal finish, which was exactly what male counterparts Jacob Bockstie of Nottingham, Maryland; Josh Hammons of Topeka, Kansas; Landin Jordan of Sycamore, Illinois; and Dawson Peterson of Stewartville, Minnesota, secured for Junior Team USA during Boys’ Team competition on Thursday.
The American women sought an even high step on the podium, however, and they reached it by topping Australia by scores of 225-208 and 244-166 to earn a berth in the gold-medal match. Their opponent will be Singapore, which punched its ticket to the Girls’ Team final after taking down Malaysia 2-1 (202-176; 194-216; 210-199).
Klemencic has competed on some of bowling’s biggest stages while representing her country and during collegiate competition as a member of the powerhouse team from Jacksonville State University. Now, she is thrilled at having the chance to bowl for team gold in Malaysia.
“This environment is similar to what I’ve seen and experienced while competing for collegiate national championships because it’s basically the biggest thing you can win,” Klemencic said. “Still, the IBF Word Youth Championships is a unique tournament, so I’m excited to see what we can do in the finals.”
No matter how the final match plays out, whatever the American women do, they’ll do together. According to Abigania, that’s what’s gotten the squad this far in Sarawak.
“I think that our camaraderie off the lanes has definitely shown on the lanes,” Abigaia said. “Just showing up for each other, whether that’s hanging out or getting something to eat, those little things have helped us remember that we’re here and doing this together.”
The Junior Team USA contingent will have the opportunity to spend more time on the lanes together on Saturday during the first three rounds of mixed team competition.
Teuber is hopeful heading into the event.
“We’re just going to keep doing what we’ve been doing, sticking together, playing our own game and seeing what we can make out of it,” Teuber said. “Our expectations are high.”
The mixed team finalists will be determined on Saturday with singles and doubles semifinal action following in both divisions on Sunday.
The final day of competition will be the most extensive, however, as Monday’s docket will see the finals play out in all four events, singles, doubles, team and mixed team.
Once the final shots have been delivered and medals conferred, the Victory Banquet will officially bring the 2026 IBF World Youth Championships to a close on Monday night.
CLICK HERE for more information on Junior Team USA.