The Penn State women's rugby team is officially California Dreamin'.

Coming off back-to-back weekends that saw the Lady Ruggers struggle to maintain focus and continue its early season successes, the Ruggers turned things around in a big way at this weekend's Sweet 16 tournament with convincing victories over Arkansas, 36-21, and Ohio State, 41-0, on their way back to the final four in Stanford, Calif.

The Ruggers have made a habit of going to the final four, making it there in eight of the last nine seasons. The pressure to make a return trip was on.

Trip number nine, however, was never in serious doubt this weekend.

"I think it was a good weekend," Penn State women's rugby coach Peter Steinberg said. "There is a lot of pressure to continue that streak and I think we met that pressure head on."

The No. 4 Ruggers also met No. 5 Ohio State's challenge head on and then some yesterday, jumping out to a 17-0 halftime lead on their way to the victory.

The Ruggers were led by Amber Benlian's three tries, while Devon Boyle added two and Amanda Gehman and Katie Gloyer each added one.

However, it was the defense, an area that Steinberg was concerned with heading into this weekend, that shined.

"I think on Saturday [against Arkansas] we played well in spurts," Lady Rugger Kirsten Aerts said. "Today we played well the entire game. The forward and the backs really stepped it up."

On Saturday, the Ruggers also had no problem disposing of No. 13 Arkansas, coming out strong on their way to an easy win. In fact, the score was not indicative of how one-sided this affair was, as the Ruggers rested several key players and played with what amounts to its B side in the second half. This weekend the Ruggers put to rest any questions about their lack of mental preparation, something Steinberg hoped would carry over to the final four in two weeks.

"We were mentally prepared for both these games," Steinberg said. "This weekend may have gotten us over the hump."

Coming off a season that saw the Ruggers lose 13 seniors and a winter that did not allow the team to get outside until recently, their climb over the proverbial hump was especially tough.

"We really pulled it together," Lady Rugger Devon Boyle said. "We had a mental and emotional bond that no one could break."

Next stop for the Ruggers: Hotel California.