KUTZTOWN, Pa.-Team don't get much hotter than the University of Maryland Eastern Shore's (UMES) Women's Bowling squad.  After a three day outing to the Kutztown Invite, the second-ranked Lady Hawks (80-18) won their third straight tournament, Martha Perez made her third straight All-Tournament Team and sophomore Paula Vilas rolled the first perfect game in school history.

"It was a team effort," said Head Coach Sharon Brummell.  "We are just firing on all cylinders right now.  Everybody is feeling it."

Arguably, Perez is 'feeling it' the most.  The junior from Bogota, Colombia averaged a 213 in six team games and made her third straight All-Tournament Team after claiming the same honor the last two weekends, first at the Mid-Winter Classic and then at the Lady Bulldog Invitational.  She has been a huge factor in the team's three straight tournament wins.  At Kutztown she tallied 1,302 pins and posted the third highest average among all bowlers who competed in all six games.  Her high game of the day was a 255 against Howard.

This weekend however, in one particular game against no. 19 Norfolk State, Vilas was 'feeling it' at the highest possible level.  The second-year kegler rolled 12 strikes in a row to claim the first 300, a perfect game, in school history.  It is just one of five reported perfect games in NCAA competition since the sports inception in the 2003-04 season.  That same year UMES became the first NCAA team to ever roll a perfect Baker game.

Vilas averaged a 217.6 over five games, the highest of any Hawk and the third highest of  any individual bowler.  She knocked down 1088 pins.

That dynamic duo wasn't alone however.  Two-time All-American Kristina Frahm came in 12th overall with a 206.33 average and a pinfall of 1,238.  She posted a high game of a 237.  Fellow All-American Maria Rodriguez bowled in just three games on the team day but still averaged a 215.  Anggie

Ramirez and Stacy Parsons also averaged over 200 with a 204.4 and a 203.33 in their respective outings.

Despite the individual success, UMES had their worst outing in the team games.  They went 5-1 and were handed their only loss on the three days; not bad for an off day.  The Hawks posted wins over the nation's top team Vanderbilt (1024-866), no.12 and host Kutztown (996-883), Norfolk State (1172-950), Howard (988-768), and Coppin State (1101-656).  They fell in their third game to no.7 Adelphi (989-1008).

In Baker games however UMES was unstoppable.  They opened the tournament on Friday with a 5-0 mark, starting the event against rival no. 3 Delaware State (796-756).

They rolled on through no. 1 Vanderbilt (830-699), Adelphi (829-691), no. 10 St. Francis (N.Y.) (831-652) and no. 4 Fairleigh Dickinson (FDU) (829-824).  Those five pins would be the closet game of the tournament for UMES, but gave them much needed confidence on day three.

On that final day UMES opened up against Penn State-Altoona with a 750-508 win and then toped FDU again, 846-779.  From there it was on to bracket play to determine the winner.  The top four teams earned a path straight to the semi-finals where the Lady Hawks took on fourth-seeded Kutztown.  They won easily four games to none in the best of seven match.  In the other semi-final FDU took on second seeded New Jersey City (NJCU), topping them 4-0 to set up the third meeting between the FDU Knights and the Hawks.  The third time was a charm, just like the first two, as the Hawks won 4 -1 to take their third straight tournament title.

While any tournament title is sweet, UMES savors this one.  The field was 28 teams, including nine of the nation's top ten teams and 16 of the top 20.  In it they beat no. 1 Vanderbilt twice, no. 3 Delaware State once and no. 4 FDU three times.  Fifth-ranked Central Missouri didn't face the Hawks but placed sixth overall.  Vanderbilt was ninth, Delaware State was eighth and FDU was second to the Hawks.

NJCU took the bronze, Kutztown was fourth, no. 11 Valparaiso was fifth, no. 17 Sacred Heart seventh and no. 20 Morgan State rounded out the top ten.  Adelphi, the only team to top UMES at the event, was 11th.

The Lady Hawks try to make it four in a row this weekend at the Capital Classic in Dover, Del.