The third time indeed proved to be the charm on the lanes for Fairleigh Dickinson as the Knights defeated Alabama A&M, 4-1, to capture the 2006 NCAA National Collegiate Women’s Bowling Championship April 15 at Emerald Bowl in Houston.

The Knights’ first title capped the program’s steady rise over the past three years. Fairleigh Dickinson finished fourth in the inaugural NCAA championship in 2004 and earned a third-place finish last year.

The championship match featured two teams making their first appearance. Fairleigh Dickinson took an early 1-0 advantage in the best-of-seven Baker format with a 209-179 victory in game one. The Lady Bulldogs rallied to square the match in the second game, 184-148. Led by seniors Lisa Friscioni, the tournament’s most outstanding player, and fellow all-tournament-team selection Krista Szalay, the Knights went on to win the next three games, 172-165, 200-179 and 196-165, to secure the national championship.

Fairleigh Dickinson head coach Michael LoPresti said his team has been knocking on the door for the past two years and came into the tournament believing that they could win it all.

“This year, we closed the deal and our program transitioned from an inexperienced team full of darlings who were pretty good to an experienced veteran team that has really paid dividends,” he said.

The second-seeded Knights earned victories over seventh-seeded Bethune-Cookman and first-time tournament participant Vanderbilt to advance to the title match.

Alabama A&M’s road to the championship match included two wins over two-time defending national champion Nebraska — the second in an elimination match after the Lady Bulldogs had lost a third-round match to Fairleigh Dickinson.

Said Alabama A&M sophomore standout Whitney Smith of the team’s wins against the Huskers, “The feeling was awesome, but we didn’t get to enjoy it much because it (the tournament) wasn’t over. We had to get focused to face Fairleigh.”

Ultimately, though, the Lady Bulldogs could not sustain the momentum generated from their semifinal victory.

“We weren’t in a rhythm like we were against Nebraska,” said Alabama A&M head coach Jeff McCorvey. “However, I’m still proud of my team — and you’ve got to give credit to Fairleigh because they executed when they needed to. Lisa (Friscioni) was undoubtedly the tournament MVP and she came through every time for her team like Whitney (Smith) did for our team.”

Szalay described winning the title as “the greatest feeling in the world.”

“I’m speechless and I don’t know of another way to describe it. All the work, dedication and hours you put in pays off in the end,” she said.

Joining Szalay on the all-tournament team were Alabama A&M’s Smith and Shanice Graham, Adrienne Miller of Nebraska and Vicki Spratford of New Jersey City.

Championship results

Round 1

Nebraska def. New Jersey City, 4-1; Alabama A&M def. Md.-East. Shore, 4-1; Vanderbilt def. Central Mo. St., 4-2; Fairleigh Dickinson def. Bethune-Cookman, 4-2.

Round 2

Alabama A&M def. Nebraska, 4-3; Fairleigh Dickinson def. Vanderbilt 4-3; New Jersey City def. Md.-East. Shore, 4-2; Central Mo. St. def. Bethune-Cookman, 4-2.

Round 3

Fairleigh Dickinson def. Alabama A&M, 4-3; New Jersey City def. Vanderbilt, 4-0; Nebraska def. Central Mo. St., 4-2.

Round 4

Nebraska def. New Jersey City, 4-2.

Round 5

Alabama A&M def. Nebraska, 4-2.

Round 6

Fairleigh Dickinson def. Alabama A&M, 4-1.