Nebraska leads after opening day of 2017 Prairie View Invitational

Standings

ARLINGTON, Texas -
The McKendree women immediately made their presence known at the 2017 Prairie View A&M Invitational, compiling a 5-0 record through five Baker matches Friday, but it was four-time defending champion Nebraska that finished the day at the top of the overall standings at the International Training and Research Center.

The three-day event features a combination of Baker and traditional games, with total pinfall determining the seeding for Sunday's best-of-seven Baker brackets, but each individual match along the way also counts toward the teams' records for the 2016-2017 season.

Nebraska averaged nearly 202 through 25 Baker games Friday, going 4-1 in the five-game matches, and leads the 12-team field with a 5,041 total. Arkansas State (4-1) is second with a 4,958 total and is followed by Vanderbilt (3-2; 4,952) and McKendree (4,905).

McKendree is making its first appearance at the event, which first was contested in 2012. Vanderbilt won the inaugural tournament, and Nebraska has won every year since.

The 2017 edition features 11 of the top 25 teams in the most recent poll and a variety of exciting formats.

All 12 teams in the field bowled five five-game Baker matches Friday and will be back on the lanes at the ITRC for five traditional team games Saturday. Tournament action will continue Sunday with one additional team game before the winner emerges from the best-of-seven match-play brackets.

Seeding for the brackets will be based on total pinfall from the 25 Baker games and six traditional games.

Along with the Prairie View A&M Invitational trophy on the line, each match the teams bowl goes toward their overall record, which helps determine the teams that qualify for the 2017 NCAA Bowling Championship being held at the Raising Cane's River Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in April.

All rounds of the 2017 Prairie View A&M Invitational are being broadcast live on BowlTV.

Here's the lineup of teams as they appeared on the featured pairs Friday, along with the schedule for Saturday's five games:

FRIDAY'S FIVE-GAME BAKER MATCHES (Watch archive by clicking on the video above)
Match 1: Fairleigh Dickinson vs. Nebraska; Maryland Eastern Shore vs. North Carolina A&T
Match 2: Texas Southern vs. Jackson State; Nebraska vs. Prairie View A&M
Match 3: Prairie View A&M vs. Arkansas State; Stephen F. Austin vs. Jackson State
Match 4: Maryland Eastern Shore vs. Stephen F. Austin; Texas Southern vs. Vanderbilt
Match 5: Nebraska vs. North Carolina A&T; Arkansas State vs. Sam Houston State

SATURDAY'S FIVE TRADITIONAL TEAM GAMES
Match 6: Jackson State vs. Sam Houston State; Fairleigh Dickinson vs. McKendree
Match 7: Stephen F. Austin vs. Prairie View A&M; Vanderbilt vs. Maryland Eastern Shore
Match 8: Arkansas State vs. Vanderbilt; Prairie View A&M vs. Texas Southern
Match 9: Sam Houston State vs. Fairleigh Dickinson; Jackson State vs. Nebraska
Match 10: McKendree vs. Maryland Eastern Shore; North Carolina A&T vs. Stephen F. Austin