Lady Ruggers face future final four foes

The Penn State, Radcliffe and Navy women's rugby team already know they have qualified for the Final Four in May. So when the three sides meet this weekend at Virginia Tech, it will be more than just a regular tournament.

Penn State coach Pete Steinberg said the team is in a pretty good position for the tournament, but his players still have to work on strength conditioning.

Since badly losing to the Maryland Stingers club team last Saturday, Penn State defeated Indiana University of Pennsylvania. The upcoming tournament will give the players a chance to check out their eventual Final Four foes.

"Navy and Radcliffe will be tough but they are comparable to us," said Penn State junior scrum half Kelly Kio. "It will be nice to play them and find out their weaknesses and ours."

Penn State junior eightman Jen Sikora said Navy and Radcliffe are equivalent to the Ruggers but Penn State is slightly better than Virginia Tech. Sikora said she likes her team's chances for the rest of the season.

"We had a lot of injuries in the fall, but we have a full healthy side now," she said. "Our team has a lot of depth."

Injuries would be a factor in any sport, but particularly in rugby in which the players compete with only mouthguards for protection.

Team captain Megan Brown has been cleared to play this weekend, but she said she won't compete until mid-April. She said she hasn't been able to practice enough with her previous back and hip problems.

The return of spring has helped pick up the team's pace as it heads into its first real test of the season.

"Practicing indoors during the winter was dreadful," Brown said. "But we have picked up since we moved practice outside during the spring. We have done a lot of team bonding and building."