Strike!

"Will there be an announcement tomorrow?" she asked. "Will they say our name?"

On a Friday afternoon in January, Ray Munguia watches his granddaughter, Bryanna Caldwell, stare down the pins.

"C'mon, girl," Munguia says.

Caldwell rolls a strike.

"Attaway, girl," Munguia says.

Munguia is standing behind the portable metal bleachers set up for Central Missouri's one and only home meet of the season. He wears diamond earrings, and his mustache is shaped like a silver triangle. He and his wife, Martha, and Bryanna's parents, Dallas and Monica, flew into Kansas City from Tucson, Arizona, to watch the meet.

An accomplished bowler himself, Munguia bought Caldwell her first ball. Back then, he thought her interest in the game was just a phase. But soon, he was letting his own game rust in order to accompany his only child's only child to tournaments. "That's one thing I would never give up — watching her bowl," he says.

As a teenager, Caldwell bowled so well that she earned enough scholarship money to pay for her first year of school. "She's real competitive," Munguia says. "She hates to lose."

Competitiveness runs in the family. Dallas Caldwell used to race dirt bikes. "We have a family motto: You either come home first or you come home bloody," Monica Caldwell says.

Her long brown curls pulled into a ponytail, Bryanna Caldwell anchors the Central Missouri team as it takes on Fontbonne University in the first match of the day. Five players from each side bowl a full game; their cumulative scores determine the winner.

Fontbonne, a Catholic school in St. Louis, is outgunned. The team starts a Wednesday Addams lookalike with messages ("slow down," "relax") taped on the toes of her shoes. Another Fontbonne player appears to be in her 40s.

The Jennies look smart in red bowling shirts and black shorts. The team used to have to wear pantyhose, but Holmes lifted the restriction last season, after Nike sent longer shorts. "It's very welcome," Assistant Coach and former Jennies bowler Sara Cox says of the change.

Central Missouri defeats Fontbonne by 99 pins. Caldwell bowls 236 (which, according to Holmes' chart, is like 250 on commercial lanes).

Caldwell's mother and grandmother sit in the bleachers while her father and grandfather hang back near the Coke machines. In addition to relatives and boyfriends, a group of first-graders has come to watch. Central Missouri sends its student athletes into Warrensburg elementary schools, and the class that Gerding visits has come to see her play. "Let's go, Ally!" they scream through missing baby teeth.

Central Missouri next faces Minnesota State and loses. The Jennies improve in the following match. But the opponent, Elmhurst College, rolls an uncharacteristically high score and wins by 47 pins.

Holmes changes his starters before the penultimate match of the day. He turns to Amanda Falk, a 5-foot-1 left-hander, and Dunkin.

In the second frame, Caldwell bowls a strike. Turning way from the fallen pins, she looks fierce. "C'mon! Let's go!" she implores during the ritual exchange of high-fives and fist bumps with her teammates.

Caldwell bowls strikes in nine of the 10 frames for 266, the high game of the day. But her teammates let her down, shooting scores ranging from 167 to 177. Arkansas State wins by 21 pins.

Before the match, Holmes had gathered his players and told them to stay focused on what they were doing and not just go through the motions. Now, it seems like they didn't hear him.

Before the final contest, against the defending national champions, Holmes opts for the silent treatment.

The Jennies get off to the start they'll need to beat Vanderbilt, which is 4-0 on the day. Dunkin, who was wobbly against Arkansas State, opens with a spare and three strikes.

Dunkin's parents, Carl and Tammy, cheer from the bleachers. Bowling parents seem to be especially passionate, perhaps because of the bonds forged while playing the game together. Carl Dunkin beams when he talks about his daughter's abilities. "I think I did my job," he says. "The kid throws a very dominating ball."

The teams switch lanes between frames. After the sixth frame changeover, the Vanderbilt squad shows signs of stress. "Let's keep it clean!" one of the players says to her teammates, worry creeping into her voice.

In the eighth frame, one of Vanderbilt's best players, Michelle Peloquin, bowls a strike. "This isn't over. Let's go!" she says, running the high-five gauntlet.

Dunkin answers with a strike and a smile.

Alyssa Surges finishes with 211. Dunkin rolls 202. Falk bowls 238 and, because of her small stature, seems to disappear when her teammates congratulate her. "Nice game, Mandy!" Cox calls from the bleachers. "I can't see you, but maybe you can hear me."

After senior Sam Swanson completes a 158, Caldwell rolls the Jennies' final frame. It's a strike. After another strike and a nine in the bonus, she registers 224.

Final score: Central Missouri, 1033; Vanderbilt, 944.

The day finished, the players from the six teams pack their equipment and dress for the cold. The Jennies seem displeased that they lost three matches. But the Vanderbilt game is encouraging.

"Finally, there at the end, they decided they wanted to wake up and try to make an effort," Holmes says. "When they do that, they can play with anybody. When they don't, we're very average."