The women's lacrosse team hosts its first home game when James Madison invades Happy Valley for a 1 p.m. encounter tomorrow at Holuba Hall.

The No. 5 Lady Lions (0-2) have struggled thus far this season, dropping two 7-6 heartbreakers to No. 9 Old Dominion on March 9 and No. 7 Loyola (Md.) on March 15.

"It tires you out because it's like 'Agh, where's all the energy going?' " junior Jen Kotkin said.

A lack of hustle caused problems for the Lady Lions against Old Dominion while turnovers were the demise for them against Loyola. In the latter game, Penn State turned the ball over 31 times, something the team will have to improve on if it wants to collect its first win of the season.

"We're going to try to focus on basics in transition so we can minimize the turnovers," Kotkin said.

. . . The baseball team will start a three-game series with George Mason at 1 p.m. tomorrow in Fairfax, Va. After tomorrow's doubleheader, the two teams will do battle again at 1 p.m. on Sunday.

The Nittany Lions (1-13) will look to improve upon their .198 team batting average and their 7.61 team ERA.

"This weekend is another exam for us," Lion Coach Joe Hindelang said. "We're capable of playing better ball. We need to improve this weekend and build on that."

Penn State will be without senior outfielder Kirk Rentschler this weekend, who is recovering from a strained right shoulder.

. . . The women's water polo club will host the Eastern Water Polo Association's first of two season tournaments, a nine-team, two-day event starting tomorrow at McCoy Natatorium. The top four teams after the two tourneys qualify for eastern regionals.

"I think we have a good shot at being in the top four," said junior Amy Stamm. "We have a lot of new girls that are strong swimmers but have no water polo experience. It's a lot more exciting than just swimming laps up and down the pool."

The club will face four opponents. Tomorrow, it will meet Slippery Rock at 9:30 a.m. and Pennslyvania at 1:15 p.m. On Sunday, the team is matched with George Washington at 11:30 a.m. and Bucknell at 2 p.m.

. . . The boxing club will host the National Collegiate Boxing Association's Northeast Regional Championships this weekend in the White Building gymnasium. Qualifying bouts will begin at 7 p.m. today. The finals will feature a full card at the same time tomorrow night.

The competition features boxers from Lock Haven, Westfield (Mass.) State, Gettysburg, Mansfield, Shippensburg, Central Connecticut and Penn State. Winners qualify for the national championships in Colorado Springs, Colo., April 6-7.

Derek Vietro (165) and Clinton Shultz (180) have bouts in the semifinals today. Mike Francis (147 pounds) and Jim Bernier (172) have received byes and will fight in the finals of their respective weight classes.

Returning 156-pound class champion Vince Calio -- who injured his right hand earlier this season --will fight for the first time this semester, defending his regional crown.

"I think he's going to be in form," Coach Bill Wrable said. "I think that the best thing that happened was that I didn't let him fight. You get really itchy when you haven't fought in a while."