For Vicki Spratford, the sport of bowling is a family affair.

The 19-year-old sophomore from New Jersey City University began bowling when she was four years old, and has grown into one of the best in the college game.

Vicki Spratford. (NJCU)

“I lived around the corner from a bowling center, and my parents got me started in it,” said Spratford. “They bowled when they were younger, and I used to watch my sisters bowl when I was younger. I wanted to do it, too.”

Spratford’s parents, Wayne and Adrienne, are bowling enthusiasts, and instilled the love of the game in Vicki, and her two older sisters, Nichole, 27, and Michelle, 24. The Spratfords raised their three daughters in their hometown of Hopelawn, N.J., and each member of the family is a graduate of Woodbridge High School.

“Every time we’re at the dinner table, bowling always comes up,” said Vicki. “It doesn’t matter what we’re talking about, it always gets back to bowling.”

Adrienne began the family tradition of competing on Woodbridge’s bowling team, which her daughters continued during their high school careers.

“My mom and my sisters and I all had the same coach in high school -- Mike Yannazzo,” said Vicki. “He’s been there for over 30 years.”

Each of the Spratford sisters has gone on to compete in college, beginning with Nichole, who attended Rutgers University, and was a member of the school’s club team (before bowling became an NCAA-sanctioned sport).

Michelle was a Third-Team All-American on the varsity squad at Saint Peter’s College, where she is now in her first season as the head coach of her alma mater. She led Woodbridge to two New Jersey team titles while earning an individual state championship, and was named as one of Star Ledger’s Top 10 High School Bowlers of the Century.

Vicki followed in her sisters’ footsteps in high school, becoming a two-time Star-Ledger First-Team All-State squad selection, and earning Star-Ledger Central Jersey Bowler of the Year in 2004.

“High school bowling is very, very big in New Jersey, especially in our area,” said NJCU head coach Frank Parisi. “Woodbridge High School has been a bowling powerhouse for many, many years, and a lot of it has to do with the Spratfords.”

Vicki now stars for NJCU, a Division III team without scholarships that is one of the country’s top bowling squads in the NCAA, regardless of division. Last year, as a freshman, she garnered First-Team All-America honors.

“I think Vicki is the best,” said Michelle. “She has her two older sisters to guide her in her bowling career. I’m sure my older sister would say that, too.”

Parisi agrees with Michelle’s assessment of her younger sister. “She’s pretty top-notch,” said Parisi. “She’s really talented, and pretty successful in the lanes, and she’s a competitor. She gets very involved and emotional in matches and competitions, and definitely wants to win. That’s obviously one of the traits that you look for besides talent and ability.”

Vicki and her sisters may be fierce competitors, but always support one another, even if NJCU and Michelle’s team, Saint Peter’s, are going head-to-head, which is quite often since both are located in Jersey City, N.J.

The two teams compete against each other almost every weekend, and even occasionally share a bus to tournaments, along with nearby Fairleigh Dickinson and Sacred Heart.

“We’re always rooting for each other,” said Michelle. “We’re happy if the other wins. We have that special bond.”

NJCU and Saint Peter’s will travel, together, to the Aggie Invitational at North Carolina A&T on Jan. 27.