LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The No. 6 ranked Central Missouri Jennies Bowling team wrapped up three days of competition at the D-II Thanksgiving Invite with a strong run through Match Play, earning a runner-up finish after pushing the championship into a decisive seventh game. 

Day 1 – Pool Play (Baker Total Pins)
The Jennies opened Friday's Baker sets with a 2-3 mark, winning over Emmanuel College (979-932) and Belmont Abbey (928-838) before falling to Lewis (930-998), Newman (894-1025) and Wisconsin-Whitewater (892-950).

Day 2 – Pool Play (Team Game Matches)
Saturday saw UCM go 3-2 in the team-game format, including a 933-844 win over Saint Anselm and a dominant 1049-473 victory over Barton. They also registered a 913 in their BYE round.

Day 3 – Match Play
On Sunday, UCM defeated Walsh 1024-780 in Baker Total Pinfall to advance into the bracket. They upset No. 1 seed Oklahoma Christian 4-3.5 via a sudden-death tiebreaker (118-115) with junior Julia Speich coming up big in the 10th frame.

In the finals, the Jennies jumped out to a 2-0 lead over No. 3 seed Wisconsin–Whitewater, but the Warhawks battled back to take the next three games. UCM forced Game 7 with a win in Game 6, but UWW selected the stronger scoring lane and closed out the match 165-137.

The Jennies finished the tournament 6-6 overall and earned a second-place finish in a competitive field.

"Another second-place finish shows the progress we are making as a young team. I think this event showed that we are getting better each week and still learning every day of competition. We showed really solid improvement after day one and a lot of fight and resilience in Match Play. I'm really proud of their effort," said head coach Ron Holmes.

Up Next, The Jennies host the Central Women's Duals on Dec. 5 (Friday) in Glasgow, Mo., at Glasgow Community Lanes.