Jan. 18, 2008
WARRENSBURG, Mo. – Vanderbilt’s second-ranked bowling team was cruising along Friday afternoon in the preview competition to this weekend’s Greater Ozark Invitational.
The Commodores were unbeaten in four games, having dispatched Arkansas State, Elmhurst, Fontbonne and Minnesota State with relative ease. The only roadblock between them and a perfect afternoon was host Central Missouri State.
The Jennies were struggling, coming into the last game of the day with three straight losses and appearing to be out of sorts. So what happens?
Central Missouri rolls a 1,033 – over a 100 pins over its best game — with three of its five members going over 220, enough to topple Vanderbilt for the third time this season.
“Sometimes it still doesn’t appear as though we fully understand that we are always going to get the other team’s best effort,” said Coach John Williamson. “It wasn’t so much that what we did lost the game, it was just that we didn’t do anything to win the game. We need to compete with a great sense of urgency.”
The sour finale put a damper on an otherwise good day. The Commodores put three women in the top five of the individual standings, led by sophomore Josie Earnest’s second place finish behind CMSU star Bryanna Caldwell’s winning average. Juniors Michelle Peloquin was fourth and Tara Kane fifth and classmate Karen Grygiel came in ninth.
On the afternoon, Vanderbilt led in total pins with 4,852, 117 more than second place Central Missouri.
Williamson played all eight members of his travel squad over the five matches. Earnest’s 234 versus Fontbonne was the team’s best individual game
All teams travel downstate Friday evening to Springfield where they are joined by others for the start of the invitational. Five team games begin at 1 p.m. at the Sunshine Lanes.
Friday’s results
Vanderbilt 1,020 Arkansas State 919
Michelle Peloquin 201
Ellen Morrison 187
Karen Grygiel 223
Tara Kane 213
Josie Earnest 196
Vanderbilt 899 Elmhurst 801
Ashley Belden 187
Amanda Halter 177
Brittany Garcia 167
Tara Kane 178
Karen Grygiel 190
Vanderbilt 999 Fontbonne 631
Belden 181
Halter 193
Garcia 198
Peloquin 193
Earnest 234
Vanderbilt 90 Minnesota State 851
Peloquin 221
Morrison 170
Grygiel 183
Kane 214
Earnest 202
Central Missouri 1,033 Vanderbilt 944
Peloquin 211
Morrison 156
Grygiel 178
Kane 190
Earnest 209
