ALTOONA, Pa. – The Penn State Altoona women's bowling team is slated to become the first of the campus' 14 NCAA Division III athletics programs to return to intercollegiate competition, following nearly a yearlong hiatus in action due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The women's bowling team, which last competed March 8, 2020 before having the remainder of its season canceled due to the spread of COVID-19, released its Spring 2021 schedule on Thursday. The schedule is limited to a pair of Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference regular season dates, with the potential for the team's season to be extended if it qualifies for the conference postseason tournament.

To cut down on travel and limit the size of gatherings, the AMCC has divided the bowling conference into a North Group and South Group. Penn State Altoona will compete in the South Group, along with La Roche University, Mount Aloysius College, and New Jersey City University. In the North Group are Penn State Behrend, Medaille College, Hilbert College, and Saint Vincent College.

Penn State Altoona women's bowling will open its season on the road, competing in the AMCC Round Robin #1 on Saturday, February 20 alongside its fellow South Group teams. The event is tentatively set to start at 11:00 a.m. at AMF Playmor Lanes in Pittsburgh, with La Roche acting as the host institution. The format for the first AMCC regular season competition is five-game baker matches.

The Lady Lions' second and final regular competition will occur in Altoona on Saturday, March 6, when Penn State Altoona will host the South Group's AMCC Round Robin #2 at the Bavarian Aid Society. That day's matches are currently scheduled to start at 2:00 p.m., with the format being traditional team.

Based on the results from each of the AMCC Round Robins, the conference will take the top two teams from the North and South Groups into the playoffs. Those four teams will square off in the AMCC Tournament Semifinal on Saturday, March 13, and the final two teams will roll for the AMCC title on Saturday, March 20. Both postseason rounds will be held at Sims Lanes in Beaver Falls.

Spectators will not be permitted at any AMCC women's bowling events, and masking will be required for all student-athletes, coaches, and support staff members in attendance at those events.

View the compete Penn State Altoona women's bowling 2020-21 schedule

*The women's bowling schedules for Penn State Altoona and the entire AMCC will be contingent on following strict COVID-19 protocols and health guidelines. The potential exists for various schedule changes to occur, based on a myriad of coronavirus-related issues. Those changes, should they happen, will be communicated through Penn State Altoona's athletics website and social media channels.