When the Penn State Lady Lions take the court tonight to square off against Duquesne in the team's home opener, the program will, in many ways, be treading in unfamiliar territory.

First, the Lady Lions find themselves 0-3 for the first time since the 1979-80 season.

Second, and more importantly, Penn State will be playing its first game in 25 years without head coach Rene Portland on the sidelines.

Yesterday, Portland announced she is interrupting her silver anniversary season by taking a medical leave of absence.

An announcement stated that the leave is effective immediately and that Portland will not be attending the Lady Lions' games or practices for an indefinite period of time.

Portland initially fell ill following Penn State's season-opening road loss to Texas on Nov. 13, when
she experienced dizziness and fainting spells on the return trip from Austin. Upon her arrival in State College, Portland was immediately taken to Mount Nittany Medical Center.

At the time, Penn State Director of Athletic Medicine Dr. Wayne Sebastianelli said Portland had been hospitalized simply to rule out medical reasons for the fainting spells, and she was released during the afternoon of Nov. 15.

How Portland's condition has changed since her release is unclear, but yesterday morning she informed associate head coach Annie Troyan that she would be leaving the team. The players were informed in a team meeting later in the day.

Both the players and coaches declined to comment on the details surrounding Portland's departure.

In an athletic department press release, Portland said the decision to take the leave of absence was not an easy one.

"This is one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to make in my career as a head coach," Portland said. "While I want to be with my team at this time, I also realize that I must make my health a priority."