LAS VEGAS – After the first day of match play at the 2026 United States Bowling Congress Senior Queens, only 16 bowlers remain in the hunt for the title and tiara at Sam’s Town Bowling Center in Las Vegas.
Eight of those 16 went 2-0 in their matches during the double-elimination bracket and can still grab the No. 1 seed, while the other eight must continue to win in the contender’s bracket or be knocked out of the tournament.
Top qualifier Liz Johnson of Niagara Falls, New York, continues her quest for a second straight Senior Queens title as one of the eight undefeated players. Others still in the winner’s bracket include Lauren Sammel of Madison, Wisconsin; Dana Ausec of Colorado Springs, Colorado; Rina Sabo of Bennett, Colorado; Jodi Woessner of Oregon, Ohio; Penny Fentiman of Sweet Home, Oregon; Joan Simi-Dalton of Lubbock, Texas; and Lynda Barnes of Denton, Texas.
Meanwhile, the eight who got knocked down early with a loss but are still fighting include Wanda Elias of Colorado Springs, Colorado; Wanda Parker of Garland, Texas; Christine Kato-Asuncion of Pearl City, Hawaii; Donna Garrambone-Ryan of Smithtown, New York; Devera Buckley of St. Louis; Kristin McEntee of Whiting, Indiana; Jody Scheerer of Orlando, Florida; and Australia’s Samantha Matthews.
For Ausec, who won the 2023 event in her first year eligible before earning a runner-up finish in 2024, she’s settled into a good rhythm after her up and down qualifying blocks. She entered match play as the No. 21 seed before beating No. 12 Garrambone-Ryan of Smithtown, New York, 652-585, before another win over No. 28 seed Sandi Charles of Nolanville, Texas, 702-584.
“(Qualifying) just felt like a grind for 15 games,” said Ausec. “Especially today, the third block there was kind of a consensus among a lot of the women I talked to that today was a little more difficult than yesterday, so that made me feel a little bit better. But I was just happy to make the cut, and I kept telling myself it’s a brand-new tournament once you make the cut and here we are.”
It’s a stark difference compared to 2025 where she qualified in third but fell in the opening round. She won two matches in the contender’s bracket before being knocked out for a 13th-place finish.
“It’s funny, because in hindsight, leading up to this tournament, for the last year I kind of felt like it was a disappointing finish,” said Ausec. “Then I went back and looked and I’m like, that’s really not bad. It’s just in that moment, when you’re first and second the two years prior, it feels disappointing.”
She’s managed to turn that experience into a positive, along with being able to compete on Senior Team USA to improve her game.
“We get to see so many different situations like getting to see transition a lot better than what we see at home and we work together,” Ausec said. “Even though we’re all going against each other in this tournament, Lynda (Barnes) and I have had conversations, Rina (Sabo) and I have had conversations, Jodi (Woessner) and I have had conversations. We’re genuinely rooting for each other.”
She’ll have to set that aside for tomorrow’s match against Sabo, last year’s runner-up to Johnson.
“If it comes down to it, the game faces are on and it’ll just be like we’re back in Colorado Springs.”
Over in the contender’s bracket, Kato-Asuncion survived against Germany’s Anette Fineiss, 574-569, after going down by 50 pins after the first game of the match, but made the comeback to stay alive during her first time competing in the event after turning 50.
“You know, even if I shot 150 the first game, I’m not out,” Kato-Asuncion said. “I kept telling myself, ‘You’re not out. Just pick at that deficit, just keep going.’ So I ended up changing balls, changing the line, and again, just picking at that deficit until the last frame.”
While no stranger to high-level competitions, bowling the Senior Queens is a different experience compared to the Queens.
“This is so much fun,” said Kato-Asuncion. “I bowled the regular Queens many years ago, but this one is just a lot more relaxed. There’s still very strong competition because the women out here, they want to win, but it’s just a different vibe.”
The Hawaiian bowler is in Las Vegas with a group of friends and her brother in tow for support and help on the lanes while her husband is back home, supporting her by watching the BowlTV streams. Her brother will be helping her attack the lanes tomorrow morning for the next set of matches.
“I’ll probably talk to my brother and just come up with a game plan, because every time we went on a fresh pair it felt different – different line, different ball,” said Kato-Asuncion. “So we’ll try everything during warm-up and take full advantage of those 10 minutes of practice. Kind of a fresh start, basically.”
Match play continues all day Saturday at noon Eastern for all 16 competitors to determine the top five in the stepladder finals on Sunday at 1 p.m. Eastern. The No. 1 seed in the stepladder will have to be beaten twice, and the winner will receive the title, tiara and $8,000 top prize.
For more information on the USBC Senior Queens, visit BOWL.com/senior-queens.