Penn women's lacrosse earns at-large bid to NCAA tournament

The Penn women's lacrosse team thought its NCAA tournament chances were slim after its 6-4 loss to Dartmouth Sunday in the championship game of the Ivy League tournament.

But Sunday night, the Quakers learned that they had earned an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. They will face No. 6 Loyola (MD) on May 13 at 1 p.m.

Loyola earned an automatic bid after winning the Big East tournament. The Greyhounds beat powerhouse Syracuse in the championship game and enter the tournament with a 12-5 record.

This will be Penn's sixth consecutive tournament appearance. Last year, the Red and Blue fell to Duke in the first round, 12-9.

This is the first time since 1983 that Penn and Loyola will meet in the tournament. The Quakers beat the Greyhounds, 9-5, in their first-ever NCAA tournament win.

Check out what Penn coach Karin Brower Corbett and senior co-captains Emily Leitner and Erin Brennan had to say about their bid after the jump.

Penn coach Karin Brower Corbett

On earning an at-large bid:

I was surprised and very happy. I'm very happy for Erin [Brennan] and Emily [Leitner] especially. I just think that Erin did not have a good game [Sunday] and she knows it, and for all that she's done for the program and what a great player she is, for her to have her last game on a day like [Sunday] was probably one of the things that upset me the most. You just want the best for that kid. And Emily Leitner played her heart out, and although she played well, she cares about winning and the team ... I'm just happy to be able to continue with the two of them. They've been such a great asset to this program in so many ways. I was sad about possibly ending, so I'm very excited. You know, we played a tough schedule and although we didn't win, I guess it paid off with the criteria that they have ... We couldn't ask for a better situation. Who knows? You could be going to Florida, you could be going to Northwestern. We don't have to go very far from home and I'm just happy we have another week, at least.

On Loyola:

They had a great Big East tournament this weekend. They beat Syracuse, which clearly has been a top team all year long. I don't know too much about them. We haven't played them in years ... We have a lot of game tapes we've got to watch and really see what they're like. I'm sure that they're going to be very athletic and fast, and we're going to have to deal with that. But I think the thing for us is to play a better game than we did [Sunday]. Our offense really has to play better than they have in some games. The offense really has to win the game for us. So that's what we're really going to concentrate on this week.

Senior goalkeeper Emily Leitner

On earning an at-large bid:

We were pretty bummed because we had the chance to take our destiny in our own hands and leaving it up to chance, you never know how it can go. But, we were all watching the selection show [Sunday night] and we were all really pumped. It's basically like coming back from the dead and having another chance to keep this season going for as long as we can keep winning.

On learning Penn had received a bid:

We're all watching [the selection show] and fast forwarding and all of a sudden we saw our names up there and everyone was just so happy and exploded, crazy cheering and yelling.

On Loyola:

They're a great team. They beat Syracuse in the Big East championship and they're on a roll. I know they're fast and have a lot of great players. So, it's not going to be easy, but we're just happy to have a chance to keep the season going.

Senior attack Erin Brennan On earning an at-large bid:

For me and Emily, it's everything, especially since we dropped what was potentially the last game of the season [Sunday]. I definitely was not happy with how I played and the performance of our team to end the season, so us getting another chance brings new life to what we have. From now on, we just need to play all in, all out, and just go for it. We have nothing to lose.

On learning the team had received a bid:

Everything was up in the air for us after we lost [Sunday], which was very disappointing, especially for Emily and I ... All of us know that no matter what happens, we were fortunate enough to get this bid and we need to step on the field next Sunday and just come ready to play and not leave any regrets on the field. We're not happy with our performance [Sunday]. I did not want to end my career with this game. All of us from now on will do everything we can to prove that we are a championship team, which many people I don't think believe.

On Loyola:

Loyola is a good team. They're similar to us in that they haven't gotten much recognition. They've had some really big wins this year. Recently they beat Syracuse. So for us, it's just about playing our game. They're out for blood, same as we are.