- September 20, 2024
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Madelynn Oliva battled Alexis Mulholland in a close 2-1 win. Photo by Michele Meyers
The top five girls at the state championships: Sierra Calo, Katarina Hagler, Kaitlyn Knight, Madelynn Oliva of FPC and Payton Vogel. Photo by Michele Meyers
FPC bowlers Jasmine Sites, Emma Pezzullo, Sabrina Da Silva-Carvalheira, Akasha Sneed, Madelynn Oliva, Brooke Bokanoski and Angelika Niewiadomska. Photo by Michele Meyers
Jacob Oliva discusses strategy with his daughter, Madelynn Oliva, during the state championship tournament. Photo by Michele Meyers
FPC and Seabreeze girls have been bowling together on Saturdays since they were young kids: Breanna Hess, Brooke Bokanoski, Stacey Spaulding, Madelynn Oliva and Kara Beissel. Photo by Michele Meyers
Madelynn Oliva. Photo by Michele Meyers
Spencer Mosher shares a laugh with Madelynn Oliva before her game. Photo by Michele Meyers
Angelika Niewiadomska. Photo by Michele Meyers
FPC waits for Brooke Bokanoski's spare as the Bulldogs compete against the Space Coast Vipers. Photo by Michele Meyers
Brooke Bokanoski waits for the outcome of her roll. Photo by Michele Meyers
Akasha Sneed. Photo by Michele Meyers
Madelynn Oliva. Photo by Michele Meyers
The Bulldogs celebrate Sabrina Da Silva-Carvalheira's strike. Photo by Michele Meyers
The crowd cheers for Madelynn Oliva as she competes in one of the individual bracket games. Photo by Michele Meyers
Sabrina Da Silva-Carvalheira. Photo by Michele Meyers
The Flagler Palm Coast girls bowling team turned its No. 7 seed into a third-place finish at the state championships, and team captain Madelynn Oliva finished fourth in the individual competition Thursday, Nov. 4, at the Boardwalk Bowl Entertainment Center in Orlando.
Oliva said her plan of attack heading into the individual rounds at the three-day tournament was simple — stay focused, have the team rally behind her and execute. She qualified fourth in the final-16 bracket with a four-game total of 869.
The senior went on to beat her first two opponents, then fell in Round 3 to Oasis High School’s Katarina Hagler to fall into the consolation bracket, where she advanced to the semifinals. Hagler went on to take second place, falling to Bell Creek Academy’s Sierra Calo in the final.
The Bulldogs advanced to state after finishing second behind Seabreeze in the District 3 tournament. They beat Somerset Academy, 3-0, in their first Baker match Nov. 2 before falling to Seabreeze — the eventual state champ — in the second round.
“We were hoping we would get a chance to play them in the final,” Oliva said of the Sandcrabs. “We grew up bowling on league together every Saturday. We are like family.”
“I think it helps that I have strong people that want to bowl, love the game and want to win.”
Laura Oliva, FPC girls bowling coach
FPC faced off against the TERRA Environmental Research Institute in an elimination match Nov. 3. The Bulldogs prevailed in the last game with a score of 181 to win the round, 3-2.
FPC returned the morning of Nov. 4 to crush Fort White High School, 3-0, in the first of four final matches. They went on to beat Space Coast High School and Somerset Academy before losing to eventual state runner-up Bell Creek, 3-2.
“I think it helps that I have strong people that want to bowl, love the game and want to win,” FPC coach Laura Oliva said. “Once we get to a match, we’re done tweaking. We are relying on everything that we have done in practice and what we’ve worked on. We worked on all the things that we knew that we were weakest at, and it has paid off.”
This is Laura Oliva’s first year coaching the team. She had been exposed to bowling because her husband, Jens Oliva, is the Matanzas boys coach, but she did not get serious about the sport until two years ago. She expressed pride in her team.
“They are an excellent group of young ladies,” she said. “They work hard every single time.”
Jens and Laura Oliva are Madelynn Oliva's uncle and aunt.
“I feel good. They did great,” Laura Oliva said. “We are losing Madellyn, Akasha (Sneed) and Angelika (Niewiadomska), but I have another niece who is coming up who is a freshman. It’s all in the family.”
