Utah bowler takes lead in tournament debut at 2021 USBC Women's Championships

RENO, Nev. - Tori King of Cedar City, Utah, made her debut at the United States Bowling Congress Women's Championships a memorable one as she left the National Bowling Stadium with the lead in Sapphire All-Events.

King rolled scores of 598 in team, 570 in doubles and 517 in singles to finish with a 1,685 all-events total. Alisha Stahler of Pine Island, Minnesota, previously led with 1,634.

The 22-year-old also moved into the top five in Emerald Team and Sapphire Doubles during her tournament debut.

King helped Cedar City Girls of Cedar City to a tie for third in Emerald Team with a 2,054 total, and King joined Cedar City's Savannah Cisneros to move into third in Sapphire Doubles with a 1,067 score.

She was joined in the team effort by Cisneros (517 series), Julia Crates (495) and Patricia Marchand (444). Cisneros added 497 during doubles.

The leader in Emerald Team is No Pin Intended of Cheyenne, Wyoming, with a 2,113 total. Katherine Dowd of Pinconning, Michigan, and Kate Biskupski of Bay City, Michigan lead Sapphire Doubles with 1,090.

King's journey to Reno for the USBC Women's Championships started when a spot opened up to join Cedar City Girls at the NBS.

"One of the ladies on the team had to drop out because she was moving away, so I ended up taking the spot," King said. "That's what gave me the opportunity to go out here."

Her teammates prepared her on some of the things to expect when competing at the 78-lane venue, but they wanted her to focus on having fun while on the trip.

"I've only bowled in the area where I'm from, and they told me it was going to be a tougher shot," King said. "They also told me it's important to go out there and have fun and make sure we have a good time."

King noted that it was important for her to keep track of her moves and keep a level head on her way to the top of the leaderboard, and now she'll wait and see if her score is enough to claim a gemstone trophy in her first tournament appearance.

"I'm definitely going to be checking and keeping an eye of things," King said. "I think with how unexpected it was, it would be a great feeling if I won. It's given me confidence to carry on and compete in other events."

Bowlers in the Sapphire Division have entering averages of 138-148. Sapphire Doubles features bowlers with combined entering averages of 276-297, and Emerald Team includes four-player teams with combined entering averages of 545-599.