The Harvard women's lacrosse team received the second seed in the NCAA playoffs and a first-round bye, the tournament selection committee announced Monday.

Harvard, the only undefeated team in the nation (13-0), was seeded behind Penn State (17-1), the topranked team in the country according to this week's Brine Poll. Both the Crimson and the Nittany Lions advance directly to the Final Four, which will be held March 20 and 21 in West Chester, Pa.

"We're all really excited," Char Joslin said. "It's something we've been working for all year and to actually have it happen and to get the bye is just fantastic."

The Crimson will meet the winner of the first-round game between third-seeded Princeton and sixth-seeded Virginia in the semifinals March 20 in West Chester. Princeton and UVA play this Saturday in Princeton, N.J. In the other semifinal, Penn State will face either Lafayette (the #4) or Temple (#5), who play this weekend in Philadelphia.

"We're excited to play whichever team comes out of it," Co-Captain Katie McAnaney said. "It gives us a chance to play Princeton again, to reaffirm that we're the better team, and UVA is a Southern team we've always heard about but never got a chance to match up against."

The Crimson defeated Princeton, 6-2, March 25.

Take a Break

The bye extends the Crimson's current hiatus from game action to 18 days, allowing time for more practice and for studying. Harvard's last game was May 2.

"It's nice to have a bye because that gives us an extra weekend to get the kinks out and for exams and papers and what not," McAnaney said, "but at the same time it's pressure because the only way to get any better is to win the whole thing, which means just playing as well as we know we can."