Published 2006-04-20T00:00:00Z”/>

Colin Thompson

April 20, 2006

The women’s rugby team is going to Penn State to play in the Sweet 16 against No. 11-ranked Army on Saturday.

On Sunday, the team will either play in the Elite Eight or for placing in the top 16. Chico State is ranked sixth nationally after a close loss to the reigning champion, Stanford.

“It was a heartbreaker, but at the same time, it was motivating to come within five points of beating a national-championship team,” four-year veteran Niama Reddick said. “I swear, if we had two more minutes we would have won.”

A victory on Saturday will likely have the Wildcats playing third-ranked Penn State, who will have home-field advantage.

“They’re a very fit team,” Reddick said. “But our ball-handling is superior, and I think that’ll show through in the game.”

Head coach Alex Triantafyllou said the team has never lost in the Sweet 16. The team’s small size, 25 players compared to other teams with 35, could be a problem, he said. When the team won the national championship in 2001, it had even fewer players.

Caroline White, a three-year veteran, said she liked the town of State College, Pa., because it reminded her of Chico. White expected the team to do well even though it has fewer players.

“They keep talking about us on the online polls, saying we have potential,” White said. “But we don’t have the depth of some of the other teams. We’re a good team. We can play. It’s more a matter of if we’re going to be too tired.”

Rookie Stacy Pitsker expects to play despite an ankle injury she suffered against Stanford.

Chico State is the only school with mandatory conditioning twice a week. The players are paying their own way with only about half the money for the tournament coming from the university.

While rugby has many friendly traditions, the postseason is all business. The veteran players know a few of the veterans from the other teams but there is not much time to hang out between practice and tournament business, White said.

Triantafyllou said the short time the teams will be at the tournament and the need for practice and rest will keep the players from too much socializing. The team is looking forward to seeing some familiar faces, even though Stanford will be at the other half of the Sweet 16 in Florida.

“Stanford is our arch-nemesis in the regular season,” Triantafyllou said. “But we’re always pulling for teams in our own league in the postseason.”

Triantafyllou would like to see the Sweet 16 in Chico within a few years. There is an open bid, but the biggest stumbling block is having a dry field. The Wildcats have only been able to play on their field a few times this season because of rain, having to find other fields in Chico.

“We’ve never had a team cancel,” Katie Duncan said. “You just don’t do that in rugby.”

Two wins in the tournament will send the team to Stanford in two weeks for the Final Four.

“I’m excited to see what this team can do. The best hasn’t happened yet,” Reddick said. “It’s going to be a tough game playing Penn State on their home field on Sunday but I think we can do it.”

Colin Thompson can be reached at<a href= “mailto:[email protected]”>[email protected]</a>