Looking up: Ali Krieger. Last year's Big Ten Freshman of the Year returns after starting every game at midfield. Big things are expected from her, both on and off the field.

The Nittany Lions came into the season ranked fourth in the country and have already knocked off No. 6 Portland. Discount the upset loss to Washington in game one, and this team is headed in the right direction. Six straight conference titles, combined with coach Paula Wilkins' 30-game home winning streak make this team awfully tough to bet against this season.

Collegian says: Big things are expected once again, but sooner rather than later this team is going to have to go all the way. One must wonder if a renovated Jeffrey Field will be as kind to the women as it has been in the past? A berth in the 2002 national semifinal gave some of these players a taste of the big time, the lights, and the ESPN cameras, but going all the way back may be a tough task this year.

Lost: Timarie Legel. While it may not sound jaw dropping, 45 points in field hockey are over the top. Take her potent stick out of the rotation and there is a huge gap to fill ... From the top scorer, to number two: Heather Conroy, the team's quarterback is also gone ... Making matters worse, goaltender Annie Zinkavich, who played the majority of the team's minutes has left the Nittany Lions with a big empty space in net.

Looking up: Annelise Legel broke all of her sister's records in high school, and indications are she can do the same in college. However, she may take another year to develop before these comparisons arise. Annelise saw limited action last season, but big things are expected from this sophomore.

Karin Grap, now one of the team's captains, was the third and final member of the 10-plus goal club. She will be asked to step off the bench and into a starting role, which should easily peg her as the main focus of her opponents, but this is her big year to shine in the spotlight, if she wants to.

Collegian says: This was a very inconsistent team last year and those problems may only worsen with the loss of some big-time contributors. The future may be very bright for Char Morett's squad, but developing a championship team around 14 underclassman may be one of the tougher challenges for one of the better field hockey coaches around. It may take at least a year, if not more, for this team to get back to the promised land.

Lost: Cara Smith and Erin Iceman. The team's two big hitters. Penn State women's volleyball coach Russ Rose characterizes Smith as a "fierce leader" who will be greatly missed. Iceman, whose percentages weren't always stellar, continually racked up the big play at just the right time. Saying there is a gap would be a grave understatement.

Looking up: Sam Tortorello and Kaleena Walters are said to be playing great already. Add in some of the taller freshmen who can clog up the middle, and this team is molded for winning some matches.

Collegian says: Coach Rose is hungry for another national title; it's been five years since his last. He's already on pace to surpass the 800-victory plateau, with a victory Friday night. On the down side, with such a young team, making the NCAA Tournament won't be a problem; it's going all the way that may need to wait until 2005, when Tortorello and Walters are seniors looking to go out on top of the volleyball world.

Lost: Nobody who saw significant playing time.

Looking up: Simon Omekanda is a year older and wiser, and may receive some help on offense this season ... Chad Severs is primed for a senior campaign on a squad that is pretty similar to the one that won the Big Ten Tournament two years ago ... Without losing anybody who saw factored in the team's success, this squad shouldn't take a long time to gel, and time spent in Brazil should have already brought this team closer together than it was during last year's tumultuous campaign.

Collegian says: Last season was supposed to be great and went downhill quickly. Things got so bad, Penn State men's soccer coach Barry Gorman cut some big-time players, including two goalies, during midseason. This year brings high hopes -- stop me if you heard this around this time a year ago. Being able to play together for a full season, at its full potential, with a tough grinding schedule, will make it very hard on this squad, which may be forced to rely on another late season run, as it got two years ago, if something is going to come out of this season.

Lost: No major participants.

Looking up: Dan Mazzocco. Frankly, that's all this team really needs: Dan Mazzocco, all the time.

Collegian says: If it's possible for a guy to have dominated in Penn State events, and still have something to prove, guess who, it's Mazzocco. After tearing through the regular season and finishing first at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships, he turned in a less than Mazzocco-like 80th place finish at the NCAA Championships. Just what the rest of the conference needs, a hungry Mazzocco, now a year older and more mature.

Lost: Deep team coming back to Happy Valley.

Looking up: Molly Landreth. Finished 56th in the NCAA Championships last year. It doesn't sound stellar, but she was what Penn State hung its collective hat on, and will be counted on for big-time finishes once again ... High expectations, and a talent laden, experienced group, could lead this team above its third place Big Ten showing last season.

Collegian says: Last season came to an abrupt ending, with a less than stellar showing in the NCAAs. But this year should be different. Coach Beth Alford-Sullivan spend the last couple of weeks in Athens coaching the United States Olympians and should come back with a new sense of renewed spirit and a new outlook for the season.