Just about every other word Buffy Baker says ends with an "er."

Better, stronger, sharper, quicker, hungrier -- all words the Penn State women's tennis coach uses to describe what she wants from the team this year.

As a result, the team can now expect 6 a.m. workouts, mountain runs and regular sprinting drills.

"I've always been a big believer that the better conditioned athlete you are, the easier you make it for yourself," Baker said after practice Tuesday. "You just don't want [players] feeling physically challenged when they're out there on the court dealing with the pressures of competition."

Freshman Katelyn BeVard notices a difference between Baker's training regime and what was expected of her in high school.

"When you were at home, you could slack off a little bit and no one would get on you," BeVard said. "You can't do that here."

After suffering through back-to-back sub-500 seasons in 2001-2002 and 2002-2003, Baker has stepped up the intensity of the team's conditioning program. In 2001-2002, the team finished 6-14. Last season, the team hobbled to an 8-14 finish.

"When you have a record like last year, it's disappointing," Baker said prior to last weekend's tournaments. "It hurts."

For the first week of practice this fall season, the team met at 6 a.m. every morning. One day, the team ran at Tussey Mountain. Another day, the team ran a timed mile. Other days, Baker designed sprinting drills and fitness tests intended to improve players' agility and explosiveness.

The Tussey Mountain run provided the team with a change of scenery and an opportunity to benefit from a different kind of workout, Baker said. The run served as a barometer for which the team could measure its cardiovascular fitness, and cardiovascular fitness can often becomes a deciding factor in longer matches, she said.

In 2001, Baker's second year as the women's tennis coach, she guided the team to its first team appearance in the NCAA tournament.

She admits now that the conditioning program in her early years at Penn State was much heavier than it has been the last two years, due in part to injuries.

If Penn State is to return to the tourney again, Baker said the team has a lot of work to do. This includes developing themselves physically and preparing mentally.

"Success will come if we can cultivate a championship mindset," she said.

Baker wants the team to get used to being pushed on the courts during practice, on the track during sprinting drills and in the weight room during strength training.

If players can control the physical aspects of their game in practice, then their matches should be the easiest things they do all week, Baker said.

"[Because of the conditioning, players will] go into their matches much more refreshed mentally," she said.

Senior Leigh Ann Merryman, who is in her fourth season with the team, said Wednesday that while there has always been an emphasis on conditioning, she feels like she's in better shape compared to the shape she has been in in other seasons.

"During my matches [last weekend at the Furman Classic], I was never physically exhausted," she said.