By JASON KETZ
Sports Editor

(WARRENSBURG, Mo., digitalBURG) — The No. 4 Jennies bowling team was back on the lanes for the first time since the beginning of December at the Arkansas State Mid-Winter Classic in Jonesboro. Central Missouri finished the tournament in eighth place out of 14 teams, which included six of the top 10 and eight of the top 20 teams in the nation.

Jennies bounce-back to win three in a row

PHOTO SUBMITTED BY UCM ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT
Junior Marina Stever was the top placing Jennie at the Arkansas State Mid-Winter Classic where she finished 30th and averaged 189 pins per game.

The tournament started Friday, Jan.15 with the Jennies losing their first two matches of the day to No. 7 Sam Houston State and to host school No. 3 Arkansas State. But Central Missouri was able to win their last three matches against Louisiana Tech, No. 16 Valparaiso and No. 9 Maryland- Eastern Shore. Head coach Ron Holmes said he was pleased that the team was able to bounce back after a close loss in their first match.

“In the first match we lost at the very end and it was tough to bounce back from,” Holmes said. “But we got back on a roll and in (Baker) format the team part is very critical, and you can’t have a person struggling.”

Baker format is when each team is allowed five bowlers who rotate bowling each frame.

Jennies finish day two in ninth place

The Jennies competed in day two facing four of the top 12 teams in the country. The day started with a two-pin loss to No. 5 Stephen F. Austin, as things only got tougher following a loss to No. 6 Vanderbilt. The next two matches against No. 1 Nebraska and No. 11 McKendree also resulted in losses. But in their last match of the day, the Jennies were able to hold off Jackson State with an 890-887 win. Holmes was quick to point out that the competition was a good test for his team early in the 2016 portion of their season.

“It was a good test to see those upper level teams,” Holmes said. “We know that each of those matches were examples that we weren’t performing at a high level and it showed areas where we need to work on.”

Jennies finish day three 2-1

In day three the Jennies first match 4-2 against Jackson State, followed by a tightly contested second game of the tournament against Maryland-Eastern Shore. The outcome came down to the first two games in a best of seven due to tying in the final five games. The Jennies were able to move on after outscoring the Hawks by 77. Then Central Missouri had a chance to avenge their previous loss to No. 1 Nebraska. After five games, the Jennies held a slim 21-pin lead. But the Huskers were able to come back and win by 43. Holmes said he was pleased but not satisfied with the teams’ finish in their last day of competition.

“The third day we were able to re focus on our strengths, which helped us re gain confidence.” Holmes said “We were able to put some great performances together as a team,” Holmes said. “Against Nebraska we were in the match until the end which was good to see, but we made some errors at the end that were the difference.”

The Jennies finished the tournament in eighth place finishing with a record of 6-7 and knocking down 13,170 pins overall. The Jennies are back on the lanes Friday for the Kutztown Invitational in Kutztown, Pennsylvania, which is another good test for Holmes and the Jennies bowling team.

“The Kutztown Invitational is one of the largest tournaments in the country with 28 teams and we will be able to compete against some of the northeastern region which will be a really good test for our team,” Holmes said.