Come hell or high water (or State College and cold weather), the ladies of Savoir Faire are ready to compete in this weekend's International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA). The competition, which is in its quarterfinal rounds, will take place at 10 p.m. tomorrow in HUB Alumni Hall.

Six schools are competing in this weekend's Midwest contest, with Savoir Faire as the only group representing Penn State this year.

The Pennharmonics, which host this year's event, won last year's ICAA competition and made it to the final round held in New York City.

The showcase allows for a 12-minute performance from each group, necessitating careful planning of the group's strategy. Savoir Faire has chosen to perform Dusty Springfield's "Son of a Preacher Man" and "Wishin' and Hopin'," as well as the more recent release "Beautiful" by Christina Aguilera.

The women had a difficult time narrowing their repertoire to three songs but made the decision by looking for tunes that added up to the maximum time allotted as well as offered the most solo performance opportunities.

"There's just such a sexiness about 'Son of a Preacher Man' that's so fun to portray up on stage," group member Monica Constantino (junior-hotel and restaurant management) said.

Melissa Swietlicki (sophomore-advertising and public relations) said the group just likes to have fun when on stage.

"Songs like 'Wishin' and Hopin' ' are so fun to sing because it gives us the chance to be goofy and cheesy and share it with the audience," she said.

Only one other all-female a cappella group, Indiana University's Ladies First, will perform in this weekend's contest.

"We've competed with them before, and they are very good," Constantino said. "We're definitely looking forward to doing it again," Constantino added.

Come tomorrow, group director Michelle Mancuso (senior-advertising and public relations) is less concerned with placing and more concerned with performing.

"I just hope we get to go on stage and show off," Mancuso said. "It doesn't matter if we place as long as we feel like we did our best. It's a great opportunity to perform with other great groups."

As for plans after this weekend, everything depends on how well the group scores. No matter the outcome, Savoir Faire will perform in Shamrockappella, an a cappella show around St. Patrick's Day. The group will also take time in the spring for a road trip around the region, performing at area colleges.

"And if we win this weekend, we'll be road tripping to the semifinals for ICCA," Swietlicki said.

Adam Giesy (senior-electrical engineering), a member of the Pennharmonics, plans to view the event as an audience member and not just as a host, hoping for the best for Savoir Faire.

"I'm looking forward to seeing a great show, and I know the entire Penn State a cappella community is supporting them," Giesy said.

The competition begins at 10 p.m. tomorrow in HUB Alumni Hall. Admission is free.