The motto printed on the back of the Penn State men's tennis team's shirts says it all: "Nothing less..."

The No. 1-seeded Nittany Lions will expect nothing less than a top finish in the Eastern College Athletic Conference Championships this weekend, starting at 8 a.m. today in Flushing Meadows, N.Y.

Senior co-captain Malcolm Scatliffe also said it before the season: Anything less than a championship in this year's tournament would be a disappointment for the Lions, who have lost in the finals the past two years.

When asked about his expectations this time around, however, Scatliffe declined to comment, stating that he is trying to focus on the match at hand before thinking about winning it all.

Up first for the No. 1 seed in a match this morning is St. Bonaventure, who the Lions handled easily last weekend at the Penn State Fall Classic. Barring a collapse, Penn State should face the winner of No. 9 American vs. No. 8 Yale in the quarterfinals at 8 tomorrow morning.

The Lions could very well see No. 3 seed Harvard, who won 4-1 in last year's final and defeated Penn State for the championship the year before. Or the Lions could have a rematch of last year's upset of No. 2 Brown, but not until Monday in the finals.

"You try not to change expectations based on what other people think you can do -- you just have to go out and play and compete hard," assistant coach Bill Potoczny said. "We'll try to let the guys enjoy the No. 1 seed, but there is no reason to change expectations while you're No. 1."

Potoczny traveled with the eight players selected to make the trip to Flushing Meadows for the tournament.

Departing head coach Jan Bortner will join the team tonight to help coach the team during the remainder of the weekend.

The coaching situation still looms over the heads of the Lions who will need to be sharp to finally get past the runner-up slot.

"We need to put it behind us," senior co-captain Mark Barry said. "We can worry about that Tuesday, but right now we need to keep our eye on the prize."

The Lions should get a boost from the return of Scatliffe, who missed the Fall Classic with bronchitis. Scatliffe rated his heath on the weekend.

"I'm good, my legs are about a 12 out of 10," he said. "But my lungs are about a five or six, sometimes I can't breathe, and I get dizzy."

All distractions and health issues aside, this fall the Lions have the tools in place to walk away from the ECACs with a championship.

A top place this weekend means a bid to the National Indoor Team Championships in the spring, practically guaranteeing a higher national rank -- but the Lions must conquer the East first.