After finishing fifth in their regional tournament as a team in both of the past two seasons, one spot away from the fourth place finish necessary to advance to sectionals, the girls bowling team is poised to clear that hurdle this year.

The IHSA added a regional round in the 2013-14 season, but Evanston has yet to advance past that point thus far.

The reason for optimism lies in the fact that seven out of eight varsity starters are returning to the team. Leading the charge, senior Zoe Landolt and juniors Genevieve Christon and Anne Porter all have been to sectionals as individuals. Landolt has moved past the first round in each of the previous two seasons and Porter and Christon advanced last year.

Junior Asya Wright and freshman Raivyn Summers will also be important pieces to what coach Ray Austin called “the deepest team Evanston has ever had.”

In IHSA bowling, every competitor’s score counts, so ETHS’ depth has been a vital asset for them this season.

Christon compared Evanston’s roster to that of New Trier last season, when the Trevians advanced to sectionals as a team, grabbing first place in the regional hosted by Resurrection High School.

“Last year [New Trier] was very good because they were mostly seniors and we were mostly sophomores,” Christon said. “Now their seniors are gone and we’re juniors coming back for our second or third year. We all know each other; we’ve all played the game for a long time.”

Evanston beat New Trier by only 18 pins, 2591-2573 on Dec. 10.

Contrary to what the casual bowler may think, not every bowling alley is the same. Each set of lanes has a different oil pattern, which makes the ball spin differently. On lanes with more oil, the ball spins less and on lanes with less oil, the ball will spin more.

Landolt believes that learning how to bowl on lanes with various oil patterns will help the team, especially when the postseason comes around.

“Getting used to lanes with different oil patterns will be key for us,” Landolt explained. “We need a lot more practice bowling on dry lanes. Where regionals are hosted, it’s completely dry and I think that was something we struggled a lot with the last year.”

The Kits haven’t struggled so far this season as they are 3-1 is CSL matches this season.

Evanston will compete at the Grayslake North tournament on Dec. 28 and then host Vernon Hills on Jan. 7.