Redemption was almost served by the No. 10 Penn State women's gymnastics team this weekend -- almost.

As the meet progressed, it looked as if the team might finally beat No. 2 Michigan and salvage the wounded pride of the faithful Nittany Lions. However, those pesky Wolverines eked out a win in the final event, beating the Lions by .425.

West Virginia and Cornell also competed in the meet, placing third and fourth, respectively.

Losing to any team is difficult. Losing to Michigan is worse, especially by such a small margin. However, it is not affecting the team.

"It doesn't feel good, but we have three more chances. It wasn't our goal for the night," senior Jennifer Orlando said.

Orlando was again one of the strongest performers of the meet, posting a 38.850 and taking second in the all-around. Her floor routine was solid enough to score a 9.850 and give her a tie for first place with fellow teammate Aslynn Satterfield.

"She did a great job. I was very proud of Jen," Penn State women's gymnastics coach Steve Shephard said.

"It just felt really good to be out there. The second meet is a lot easier. Our nerves are out, and it just felt good to be at home again," Orlando said.

Orlando was chosen for the all-around, taking the place of senior Lisa Clark, who hyperextended her knee during practice last week. She did not tear anything, but is taking it easy for precautionary measures. She did compete in bars and beam, but neither of her scores were counted.

The Lions began the night on vault, where judging seemed to be a lot harder than the previous meet. Even though the scores were not as high, Senior Michelle Ilg performed well, posting a score of 9.725.

"Even though our score didn't show it, I think that we improved. We didn't have to count any falls. I think the score doesn't always tell, but we felt better about what we did," senior Meredith Hoover said.

The uneven bars were next for the Lions, and the team was very solid, scoring a season best of 48.775. Freshman Katie Perrett showed no nerves in this meet, posting a 9.825, which was a huge boost from the 7.9 she had in the first meet.

The third event of the night, balance beam, continues to be a bit of a nuisance to the Lions. Even with some wobbles and miscues, the team was able to score a 48.675, putting it right on the heels of Michigan.

The floor exercise was the final event for the team. Even with strong performances from Satterfield and Orlando, the Lions were unable to overcome Michigan.

Overall the meet was an improvement from the first one and a step in the right direction.

"We just need to do what we do in practice. We need to be calm, confident and poised. They are better in practice than in the meet," Shephard said.

Expectations are soaring now, as the Lions look for their first win of the season when they travel to the No. 19 Minnesota Gophers.

"We are going to be away next weekend, so it will be a little bit of a different atmosphere," Orlando said. "But, I think we are really excited to be moving forward and to get the season going now that we have two meets out of the way."