There will be no dresses and fancy make-up at this Sweet 16 party.

The Penn State women's rugby team will head to the Sweet 16's this weekend in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., on the campus of Vassar College, where they will look to make a return trip to the final four starting against Arkansas.

While the Lady Ruggers may need to break out a map to find tiny Poughkeepsie, the road back to the Sweet 16's and possibly the final four has been on the mind of the team since last year's loss in the championship game against Air Force.

"After placing second last year, we want a chance to redeem ourselves," Lady Rugger Carrie White said.

The Ruggers have almost grown accustomed to this national stage, as they have made it to the championship game in eight of the last nine seasons.

However, recently the Ruggers have struggled to maintain their mental focus, which has led to a loss to Navy in the finals of the Mid-Atlantic Football Rugby Union and two disheartening defeats in the West Chester tournament.

Penn State women's rugby coach Peter Steinberg said that the national recognition that the Ruggers have received over the last decade has put a target on the team's back that some of the players have failed to realize.

Lady Rugger Amy Manidis said that recent slump has served as a wake-up call for the team.

"I think it is good that we lost," Manidis said.

"It was an ego check for us."

To put aside this recent slide, the Ruggers will have to get past this mental block, something Steinberg said the team can do, considering the magnitude of the event and the effort the team has put in during the fall and over the winter.

"Because it's the Sweet 16's, I'm not worried at all [about the mental aspect]," Steinberg said.

The match will likely be decided by which team's weakness steps to the forefront. According to Steinberg, Arkansas has a very accomplished set of backs but its forwards have struggled.

Meanwhile, Steinberg said he is concerned with his defense and scrums, and said the team needs to come out aggressive to advance in the regional. Manidis, for one, is excited about the team's chances, though she said that she is worried about the team's mental approach recently.

"As long as we go in mentally prepared, I have full confidence we can go in and roll over any team we play," Manidis said.

The winner of this match will go on to face either host Vassar or Ohio State on Sunday.

Just don't expect them to be wearing their Sunday bests.