By BILL SNIER
PARMA HEIGHTS — The storylines run deep as the five stepladder finalists prepare to do battle Tuesday in the Professional Women’s Bowling Association’s final major of the 2026 season.
Looking from the No. 5 seeded position to No. 1, we have:
- No. 5 Stephanie Johnson, a six-time PWBA winner, who is seeking her second major title, which would make her Hall of Fame eligible;
- No. 4 Lauren Russo, who is seeking her second win and first career major after reaching the Tour Championship finals a year ago in Rochester, N.Y.;
- No. 3 Diana Zavjalova, who reached the top four during the PWBA Pepsi Open as part of Tour Championship Week, but could barely walk heading into the evening match-play session while battling a quad injury in her left leg;
- No. 2 Birgit Noreiks, who only reached the 24-player field for this event because Josie Barnes opted out of participating; and
- No. 1 and hometown favorite Jillian Martin, a two-time major winner and four-time winner overall, who could not only be Hall of Fame eligible with a win but could also clinch her spot in history by capturing the PWBA’s modern Triple Crown (U.S. Open, USBC Queens, Tour Championship), the first since the relaunch in 2015.
A lot is on the line as the three-event week ends at Yorktown Lanes with the PWBA Tour Championship finals, which begin at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday and will air on BowlTV and the new free streaming service Bowling TV.
LEADING THE WAY
Martin took the lead in the 24-game match-play event in the final game of the second round Monday and never fell out of the top spot, compiling a tourney-best 18-6 match-play mark with 5,659 total pinfall (average of 213.29). At one point, she ran off nine straight match-play wins between the two eight-game shifts.
“Putting myself in that position going into the last game … it can be stressful,” said the 22-year-old Stow right-hander, who won the U.S. Women’s Open earlier this year by running the stepladder and has won nine straight stepladder matches stretching back to her win in the 2024 USBC Queens.
“I kind of let too many thoughts get into my head. But from there, I bowled great tonight and put myself in a position where I had a little leeway where I don’t have it all figured out. I just tried to have fun out there and I had it when I needed to.”
Martin missed the first two events of the season due to finishing her senior year at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and admittedly started slowly. Now, she is one game away from her second major and fifth overall title.
“It’s been a while since I’ve been a No. 1 seed. I’m going to enjoy it, have a good time and do what I know how to do,” said Martin, who could earn $30,000 with the win. “I’m going to be here early, try to figure things out as things go along and try to make the best shots I can.”
CLIMBING TO NO. 2
Noreiks, a 40-year-old German right-hander with three career titles, had a 7-9 record and was sitting 11th heading into the final eight games of match play. But then she got on a roll.
“I just felt really comfortable with my ball motion and I was able to do what I like to do,” said Noreiks, who owns three career titles. “I finally saw the ball do the right things and it was easier to repeat shots.”
Noreiks shot 721 over her final three games, two of them wins, to make a run up the standings after being the last person into the field when the points finally were tallied following the Pepsi Open. A 4-pin spare on her first ball in the 10th frame of the final position-round game denied her a chance to possibly pass Martin and take the No. 1 spot.
“I’m just really trying to enjoy it. I really just snuck into this cut to be the 24th player. It’s hard to be away from home so I want to try to make the most of it because my family allows me to be here,” said Noreiks, whose son just turned one-year-old forcing her to miss some time on Tour.
“It’s really hard to practice the way you used to because you don’t have the time. It doesn’t change the way I approach bowling,, but it definitely helps when you have a bad day. It’s just not about bowling anymore … you have something to go home to.”
BATTLING INJURY
Zavjalova, a 35-year-old Latvia right-hander now living in Fort Worth, Texas, is making her second stepladder appearance of the week after falling to eventual champion Alexis Runk 225-189 in the Pepsi Open semifinals Saturday.
The first-round leader in this event, she finished with a 13-10-1 record with 5,537 total pinfall — and in a lot of pain.
“I injured my (left) quad muscle and it was really hurting in Games 15 and 16. I could barely even walk on it,” said Zavjalova, who was holding an ice bag on her leg following play. “But I did some electrode therapy, iced it and took some Ibuprofen between the shifts.
“The last eight games, I was actually very worried because I couldn’t stand on the leg and if I could even bowl. Luckily, the therapy I did during the break helped and I was able to survive.”
This marks Zavjalova’s second major stepladder this season. She fell to Martin 172-166 during the latter’s run to the U.S. Women’s Open title, finishing fourth.
“I’m just going to focus on taking it one shot at a time and make the best best shots I can,” Zavjalova said. “I’ve been bowling really well lately and I’m confident. As long as the leg holds up, I think I’ll be OK.”
TWO IN A ROW
Russo, a 29-year-old Baldwin, Mo., right-hander won her only title in the 2024 Southern Indiana Open. She reached the Tour Championship stepladder in Rochester, N.Y., a year ago but came up short.
She compiled a 14-9-1 record, but went just 3-4-1 during Monday’s second shift.
“That third block, my ball started doing backflips and just didn’t match up to what I had done the first two rounds,” Russo said. “I had a lot of over-under and just bad ball motion.
“Thankfully, I knocked down enough pins the first two blocks that I really didn’t have to worry too much seeding wise. I’m just planning to stick to what I do best, fill frames and have fun.”
Russo said a change in attitude concerning match play also helped. This event has no qualifying games; just 24 games of straight match play.
“I see this as qualifying in my head. I just changed my attitude on these match-play portions,” Russo added. “If I bowl a person I’m bowling and get 30 bonus pins, sweet, but I like to look at the overall pinfall total and go from there.
“Obviously, you can lose matches shooting 240s or 250s … that’s how bowling is. But I use it as a different perspective on things and it has been really beneficial.”
HOF CHASE
Johnson, a 42-year-old McKinney, Texas, right-hander, didn’t arrive in Parma Heights until Saturday, missing the first two events of the week as her kids returned to school.
“It’s no different if I had bowled the first two events,” said Johnson, who has bowled the last four years in events at Yorktown. “I’m just playing the lanes for what they are giving me, drilled a couple of balls, and they have worked.”
Johnson was hanging around the cut line all day, and shot just 198 and 190 her final two matches — both losses — to finish with a 13-11 record and 5,516 total pinfall — finishing just 16 pins ahead of Maria Jose Bohr for the final stepladder spot.
“Staying patient was the biggest key (Monday). It was a constant roller-coaster up and down with the bonus pins,” said Johnson, who won the 2018 Players Championship as her lone major. “I just stayed patient and put myself in position to get there.
“I didn’t look at the scoreboard until the position round. I knew that even if I lost, which I did, I couldn’t lose by more than 17 pins.
“I’m just happy to have the chance to get in.”
Now, she has a milestone opportunity — to become Hall of Fame eligible.
“It gives me chills thinking that I could have that opportunity because for so long, we didn’t have a tour,” Johnson said. “And then to now be in a position where there’s a possibility to be in the Hall of Fame for it is crazy to think about.”
Five women, five stories — all seeking that one major title with a lot on the line.
The race begins at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.
POY RACE ENDS
With her 15th place finish in the Tour Championship, Singapore right-hander New Hui Fen earned her second straight PWBA Player of the Year Award.
She becomes the first player since Shannon O’Keefe (2018-2019) to claim the award in back-to-back years. New owns six career titles, including winning in Colorado earlier this season, and also reached the stepladder finals of the Cleveland Open last week at Yorktown.
In addition, she also earned the Tour’s high average award with a mark of 218.3. Jordan Snodgrass finished second in both categories.
NOTEBOOK: To be eligible for the PWBA Hall of Fame, a player could either have a minimum of 10 titles or a minimum of five titles, with two of those being majors. The minimum age is 40 — which makes Martin’s opportunity even more remarkable. … Bohr had the opportunity to reach her second stepladder of the week, but beat Johnson in their stepladder match only 191-190 to fall 16 pins short. She did not bowl the second event, the Pepsi Open, choosing to rest for the Tour Championship. … Defending Tour Championship winner Shannon Pluhowsky of Dayton finished 21st overall while Snodgrass finished 23rd after finishing second during the Cleveland Open to Shayna Ng. … The other two champions of the week — Ng and Milton, Pa,, right-hander Alexis Runk — finished eighth and 16th,, respectively. … All 24 players in the Tour Championship field cashed.