Penn State has been practicing indoors on turf for the last month, which might be a disadvantage when it competes against teams like Florida, who have the opportunity to play outside on grass every day.
Weinerth said it's hard to get a feel for the grass early in the season, but she's confident the team can improve from its 15th-place finish last year. Thirteen teams will be competing in Puerto Rico, including host Purdue, Southern Cal and No. 3 Georgia.
"This is the most competitive field we are going to see the entire year, most of the teams are in the top 25 in the country," Penn State head coach Denise St. Pierre said.
Lundy said that playing well against these schools would set the team up nicely to defeat them later when spots for regionals and nationals are on the line.
Penn State expects to be pushed by the strong field but remain competitive and post some good numbers.
"Everyone's going to be hard to overcome, certainly Southern Cal is going to be a team that will play extremely well, as will Texas and Georgia," St. Pierre said. "We can't focus on other teams, we just have to play the course the best we can."
The scenic course, with one hole overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, will pose some challenges. The players recall from last year's tournament that there are some tough holes and hazards, but it isn't anything they can't handle.
"Weather conditions are the biggest factor," Wolfe said. "The wind can definitely have a huge effect on your game and last year there was some water on the course."
The team isn't letting anything it; it is focused on turning in good performances and jump starting the rest of its season.
"This tournament will give us a chance to see what we need to improve," Weinerth said. "If we can play consistently and hit our target score each day, we should be in good shape."
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