A cappella fans had the opportunity to support students from Penn State, the University of Michigan as well as Indiana University and Indiana University Bloomington on Saturday. Supporters lined up early, by 9:30 p.m., just to get good seats. At 10:05 p.m., Doo-wop and harmony were the only things that mattered in the HUB-Robeson Center's Alumni Hall.

The International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella showcased six groups including Penn State's own Dreamers of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity, Savoir Faire and Vocal Fusion.

The top two groups from the competition advance to the Mid-West semi-finals at Bloomington, Ind., on March 3. The winner there will go on to the finals in New York City on April 28.

Semi-pro group 6 Wings, whose members are from PSU and other areas of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, hosted the show and later serenaded listeners as judges made their decisions.

Each group was given 15 minutes to perform. Fifty percent of the judging was based on musicality and 50 percent on performance, said Shawn Pearce, a Penn State alumnus who was the master of ceremonies.

Before the performance, Jessika Diamond, director for the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella, made rounds to make sure things were running smoothly.

According to Diamond, the evening was the second quarterfinal for the Mid-West region. Six different regions each have four shows.

It was Penn State Late Night's second time hosting the ICCA Championship competition. "We had 160 applicants," said Diamond who was vocal about her appreciation for a cappella. "We had something like 900 people show up here last year. We're expecting the audience to have a good time. ICCA is about getting people of common interests together and college students who love to sing."

The atmosphere was subdued before show time. Members of both Savoir Faire and the Dreamers were unmistakably relaxed. In fact, the smiling and hugging among the vocalists blurred the distinction between competitors and friends.

Nicholas Carita (senior-telecommunications), a member of the Dreamers, talked about an after party while remaining calm and collected. "All the competitors are invited. We're here to have a good time. We're all very cordial in greeting other competitors and saying hello."

"We've had four rehearsals this week, a lot of confidence and a lot of energy. We worked really hard," said Carita.

Kirsten Grenoble (senior-speech communications), a member of Savoir Faire, maintained a light opinion about winning.

"I don't want to be overconfident," said Grenoble. "We have people who are amazing who arranged our set. We have a really good vibe. We've practiced 20 or 30 hours totally."

The question remained whether good vibes and being cordial would be enough to sway the judges.

Inside Alumni Hall, Billy Joel music played softly in the background. Eventually loud, boisterous supporters filled the room and people moved freely about the aisles throughout the performance.

The qualifying round opened smoothly and the singers were picturesque against the black backdrop peppered by green, red, blue and pink stage lights. Pearce asked the audience to keep applause to a minimum and to "be positive and supportive." The audience however, would not be constrained.

The Dreamers were the first group to perform and received the second loudest applause of the entire show. Clad in black Phi Mu Alpha fraternity baseball shirts, the group was 20 members strong and deemed themselves as guys "who like to think of themselves as socially aware." To the liking of the crowd, their persona immediately changed from stoic to quirky as they belted out: "Salads are only for murderers . . . cole-slaw is a fascist regime. . ."

Vocal Fusion, the newest co-ed a cappella group at Penn State, was characterized by homemade pants, shirts and skirts, polyester and glitz. The first lead vocalist clearly outshone the entire group with her strong vocals, and the audience was less responsive to Vocal Fusion. In a feeble attempt to redeem themselves using streamers and sunglasses the group seemed worn out by its third rendition of No Doubt's "Spiderwebs."

Next came Penn State's only female a cappella group, Savoir Faire. The audience yelped at the girls' pro-feminist antics. Savoir Faire symbolized its camaraderie by wearing blue T-shirts and the girls wasted no time between songs. They put a twist on the performance with Maya Angelou's "The Phenomenal Woman" poem put to music.

Human beat boxing and body rocking provided the evening with spirit and showed the kind of creativity each group could muster.

Penn State President Graham Spanier, a member of Phi Mu Alpha, showed up before the intermission to show support. "The whole thing was fantastic," said Spanier who refused to be partial because he "hadn't seen the entire show."

After intermission guest groups from Michigan and Indiana did all but steal the competition. Their polite comments and professionalism did not go unnoticed.

Amazin' Blue, University of Michigan's oldest co-ed a cappella ensemble was amazingly poised and its sharp choreography and vocals were mesmerizing. They thanked Penn State for their "gracious accommodations." Obviously comfortable in their own skin, the group looked closely-knit and polished, wooing the crowd to N'SYNC's "Bye Bye Bye."

Finally, the well-seasoned Ladies First, of Indiana University Bloomington, took the stage. They were visibly excited about the release of their debut self-titled CD. The audience was immediately receptive to their charisma and cheered in assurance.

The girls balanced vocals with confidence and appropriately used a song by the unapologetic Dixie Chicks.

The crowd was most excited after Ladies First repeated a rendition of a Destiny's Child song Savoir Faire performed earlier in the show. This time the Ladies overturned the music with more sophisticated vocals and the audience realized it instinctively.

Ladies First practically begged the judges using the lyrics, "Penn State, how you ladies get down like that?"

6 Wings amused the audience who listened with strained patience for the judge's results.

Savoir Faire won the award for outstanding vocal percussion and the University of Michigan won an award for best arranged song. Savoir Faire came in as the third place winner and Amazin' Blue came in second. In the end there was only one winner and Ladies First prevailed.

But according to Pearce, "All groups kicked serious butt."