The tennis club team is flying to Daytona Beach, Fla., today to compete in the Nationals that begin tomorrow.

With the club only in its second year of existence, the team will make its first-ever appearance at the Nationals, which any college club team can qualify for because there is no sectional tournament.

Eight players from the club team were chosen to go to the Nationals. Club president Justin DePietropaolo said that dedication and experience were both major factors in choosing the players.

"We decided on who attended matches and practices the most, and who was really dedicated," DePietropaolo said. "Experience was a factor as well as seniority."

The eight selected players were divided into the A Team, which consists of the more experienced players, and the B Team.

Team captain David Espinosa, who is unable to attend the Nationals, said that he doesn't like to point out certain players who may be better than others because they all work extremely hard and are dedicated.

"All of the players are at the same level, but match play and experience counts a lot," Espinosa said. "The players that have played in high school and have Nationals experience perform better under pressure."

For the A Team, either Thad Gelsinger or Lee Frank will play singles for the men's side and Jessica Lohwasser will play for the women's side, while Lohwasser and Gelsinger will play mixed doubles. For the B Team, Matthew Mandell and Carolina Lathrop will play singles and Kara Cummings and Mandell will play mixed doubles. Sarah Hadley and Sameer Safaya will act as reserves.

The tournament will begin tomorrow, when teams will play round robin or pool play matches with teams advancing into bracket play. The top two teams in each pool qualify after the round robin games and there will be single elimination from then on. Closing ceremonies will be held on Saturday night and the team will head back to Happy Valley on Sunday.

As far as tournament play, Espinosa said he is expecting tough competition.

"It's not really about going out and winning, it's more to go and let the players know that there is competition," Espinosa said. "We are expecting the best club teams in the country."

Espinosa is hoping the trip to Nationals will prepare the team for next year.

"I'm more focused on someone stepping up and taking over the leadership since this is my last year," he said. "Trips like this keep unity and help us grow as a team."

The team has won three matches this year and lost one, defeating Lehigh, Syracuse, and John Hopkins and losing to Michigan.

DePietropaolo's main expectation for Nationals is that the team gets some experience, but he also said that the team is looking to get revenge on Michigan since it beat Penn State during the season.

Cummings expects to do well as a whole, and give a good reputation of Penn State's club team.

"I'm sure the competition will be tough since there is so much talent out there because it's hard to make Division I teams," Cummings said. "We did really well at each of the matches and we have been practicing hard to prepare for the Nationals with the hopes of performing well."

The number of matches played will depend on the team's success, but each team is guaranteed at least four.

"I don't really know how good everyone else is because I am a freshman," Frank said. "I wouldn't mind winning the Nationals championship, but I'd be happy if we could finish in the top ten in the country."