The Penn State women's golf team tried to overcome its recent struggles at the William and Mary Invitational yesterday, finishing No. 8 of the 17 schools competing. The Nittany Lions had a final three-round score of a 66-over-par 642.

Western Michigan finished in first place with a score of a 41-over-par 617.

Once again, senior Evelyn Paik played a strong tournament in which she tied for No. 13 by shooting a seven-over-par 79 in the second round and finishing with a final score of a 12-over-par 156.

Junior Christin Pacacha and freshman Katherine Murphy improved their first round performances by seven shots and nine shots, respectively, and finished tied in 38th place.

"The first round was obviously pretty disappointing," Pacacha said. "We thought we could put up good numbers, but that didn't happen for us."

Pacacha said the course was shorter than what the team has been used to in Texas and North Carolina, causing them to make adjustments to their game.

"When you go from playing a course that long, it's more about placement than distance," she said.

Pacacha said the golfers got better as more rounds passed and they became familiar with the course.

They improved upon their Saturday performance yesterday, with some golfers improving by five or six shots.

Pacacha said the biggest challenge for her was the green because of its surface. It's different than the quick Pinehurst green and the smooth Texas green. Virginia's grass is still growing for the spring season, so the green is slower and bumpier.

Still, Pacacha said the team has learned something from each tournament it played in.

"We're obviously disappointed because we had higher expectations going into season," Pacacha said. "We have the best of intentions and really high hopes, but we came up short again."

The team will take a week off and then head to Indiana in two weeks for the Indiana Invitational.