Bracket<\/a><\/p>\nLAS VEGAS<\/p>\n
\u2013 After the final rounds of match play at the 2026 United States Bowling Congress Senior Queens, only five players remain in the hunt for the title and tiara at Sam\u2019s Town Bowling Center in Las Vegas.<\/p>\n
Top seed Lynda Barnes of Denton, Texas, went 5-0 in the bracket and can be just the fourth person to hold USBC Queens and USBC Senior Queens titles if she can win just one more game on Sunday. As the No. 1 seed, Barnes will have to be defeated twice, but she hopes that she won\u2019t need the extra game.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been a long time since I\u2019ve been in this position,\u201d Barnes said, winner of the 1998 and 2008 USBC Queens. \u201cI\u2019m hoping I can just set myself up mentally to be loose and just play. I have nothing to lose \u2013 I\u2019m just going to go bowl, bowling for my kids. I\u2019m here to have a good time, and obviously I want to win. So I\u2019m just trying to be smart, I want to win one. I only want to bowl one game.\u201d<\/p>\n
When asked about potentially being a part of that short list that has a Queens and Senior Queen title, which includes Sandra Postma, Anne Marie Duggan and Liz Johnson of Niagara Falls, New York, Barnes said, \u201cThat\u2019s awesome. To be in that group of people\u2026 honestly, just to be here is cool. Winning would be everything, and to share that with my kids would mean a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n
Speaking of Johnson, she\u2019ll be the No. 2 seed after losing to Barnes in the final winner\u2019s bracket despite a herculean comeback attempt. Johnson was down by 76 pins heading into the last game of the match before throwing strike after strike, eventually having the front 10 before a 10 pin stood and losing the match by just five pins, 691-686.<\/p>\n
The pair Barnes and Johnson bowled on \u2013 17-18 \u2013 gave Johnson trouble early on.<\/p>\n
\u201cI felt like my shot and my reaction weren\u2019t the best, and I was trying to make things happen that weren\u2019t there,\u201d said Johnson. \u201cI was kind of going back and forth, and then I hit a mental block.\u201d<\/p>\n
But Johnson did what she has done her entire career and didn\u2019t back down.<\/p>\n
\u201cI started to feel a little more comfortable. I knew I had to make moves, so I was like, \u2018I\u2019ve got nothing to lose.\u2019 I switched to a cleaner ball and went to using two different balls, which I had done in previous matches as well. That got me into a better spot.\u201d<\/p>\n
Johnson won\u2019t have the luxury of the extra game like last year when she was the No. 1 seed and won, but has won a number of times when not in the top seed and knows what she has to do.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been in this position before, coming from the second seed. There are a lot of games to go tomorrow, so it\u2019s just about getting into a good rhythm and executing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Joining Barnes and Johnson in the stepladder will be Kristen McEntee of Whiting, Indiana, Rina Sabo of Bennett, Colorado, and Jodi Woessner of Oregon, Ohio, as the Nos. 3-5 seeds, respectively, after advancing through the final contender\u2019s match where the final four remaining bowled on the same pair.<\/p>\n
McEntee rolled 707 series to earn the No. 3 seed, Sabo shot 690 while Woessner had 667. 2023 champion Dana Ausec of Colorado Springs, Colorado, was the odd woman out with a low series of 562. McEntee and Sabo are looking for their first tiara while Woessner seeks a second after winning the 2022 event.<\/p>\n
For Woessner, getting here means shedding the last couple of years of disappointment.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe last couple of years have been a little rough,\u201d said Woessner. \u201cI had a couple losses in match play. So it was good to win my first few matches yesterday and the third one this morning, and be able to at least get into the stepladder.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Sabo hopes that she can earn a win after placing second to Johnson in 2025. She credits USBC and PWBA Hall of Famer Tish Johnson for fixing a mechanical tweak in her physical game.<\/p>\n
\u201cTish noticed something when I was bowling where my elbow was going out and I wasn\u2019t coming through the ball,\u201d said Sabo. \u201cThat was about two weeks ago, so I worked on that and she was right. There has also been just a lot of equipment changes and mental preparation \u2014 focusing on the pins and not worrying about what everyone else is doing, because I can\u2019t control that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Finally, McEntee earned a third-place finish in 2024 but finished tied for 7th in 2025, losing by just two pins in the second-to-last contender\u2019s match.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s such a great opportunity to be able to lace up against the top senior bowlers,\u201d said McEntee. \u201cI\u2019ve always kind of felt like I left something out there in that last match last year, so it really has fueled me. It\u2019s just kept me hungry and motivated. It also makes you realize you\u2019ve got to continue to bring your best, because these ladies are amazing athletes, and they proved it once again today.\u201d<\/p>\n
All five women will return Sunday at 1 p.m. Eastern for the stepladder finals, streamed live on BowlTV. The winner will earn the title, tiara, $8,000 top prize and an automatic spot in match play for the 2027 event should they choose to bowl.<\/p>\n
For more information on the USBC Senior Queens, visit BOWL.com\/senior-queens<\/a>.
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