For the Penn State men's water polo team, this past weekend at the McCoy Natatorium presented a chance to win the Mid-Atlantic Regional Tournament and gain a bid to nationals.

Unfortunately for the Nittany Lions, the weekend didn't turn out as they had hoped.

Players and fans seemed to be more pumped up than usual for what promised to be a highly competitive match between Penn State and Villanova on Friday. Cowbells, Halloween costumes and chants of "We are... Penn State" could be heard and seen throughout the crowd.

In the first quarter the game lived up to expectations; no one scored until the 1:19 mark off of a man up situation.

Villanova stepped up its game and by the end of the third quarter, had taken a 13-2 lead. However, in the fourth quarter, with added incentive from questionable foul calls, Penn State bounced back and ended the game on a high by scoring seven goals in the final quarter. But the late surge wasn't enough as the Wildcats held on to make the final score 16-9.

"We did a great job and never gave up. In the fourth quarter we definitely outplayed them," interim coach Lauren DeMoss said.

With the loss, the best Penn State could do was place No. 5 in the tournament, no longer able to receive a bid to nationals.

On Saturday, Penn State played two more games, the first against Carnegie Mellon and the second against Lehigh University. Penn State won both games rather handily, taking the first game 14-6, and the second 24-13.

Yesterday, with a chance to take fifth place in the tournament, Penn State came out firing against Pittsburgh. It scored the first 11 goals and didn't allow a Panther goal until the 4:05 mark of the third quarter, and wound up winning 19-6.

Coming off last year's highly successful season, where the team qualified for nationals and came in 11th place, this year began with many expectations.

Before the Mid-Atlantic Tournament, the team traveled to Washington and Jefferson College for a two-game invitational where it was able to compete with top varsity teams in the Mid-Atlantic Region. The team also competed in the Grove City Tournament where it beat Grove City, Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon.

While Penn State has had recent success in water polo, it has been tough on many players not having a formal coach. Team captains are forced to act as coaches, running practices and taking care of travelling logistics.

"Having a coach would allow us to remain more focused and take the burden off players who have to decided how practices should be run," senior driver Adam Filer said.

Without a coach this year, DeMoss, a junior and a women's water polo player, acts as the men's coach during games.

"It can be difficult sometimes for myself and the players because for much of the practices, I am not there and they are forced to coach themselves," DeMoss said.

Even with these hardships, Penn State came into the tournament ranked fourth in the West Mid Atlantic Division standings and in the first game faced a No.1-ranked Villanova team from the East Mid Atlantic Division.

Though the team finished in 5th, the win was bittersweet for the seniors. For some, this could have possibly been their last competitive game.

Even though the men's water polo team did not win the tournament and earn a bid to nationals, many players, including the soon-to-be departed seniors, have high hopes for the future.

"We expected to win," senior driver Pat Boyle said. "And while that may not have happened, I am confident that the group of guys we have now will be great in the future."