SLIPPERY ROCK — Mandi Miller and Callie Verrette both were star soccer players in high school.

But when they came to Slippery Rock University, they both were looking for a change.

Neither thought that change would come in the form of rugby — a sport that brings bloody noses, black-and- blue marks and banging heads to mind.

"It's physical, and that's why I love it," said Verrette, a native of Syracuse, N.Y. "I thought to myself, 'I'm done getting carded.'"

Miller grew up with two brothers, one older and one younger.

In her home, toughness was a requirement, not a luxury. She lived for the powder puff football games in which she could hit people without protest.

On the soccer pitch at North Huntingdon High, Miller was as aggressive as they come.

She discovered the rugby team during her first day on campus.

"My mom suggested it — even though she doesn't like the idea now," Miller said

Both seniors now, at the time neither thought of the Slippery Rock University women's club rugby team as much more than an athletic outlet.

But that has changed.

With a cult following on campus and success that trumps most of the varsity sports at the school, rugby has become the "it" sport at SRU.

"I think it's awesome," said Miller, who took over as club president from Verrette last month. "We've been working on getting school and community support. We're getting recognized."

Success will do that. So will domination, which is what the team has enjoyed for the better part of two years.

Last year, the team won the Midwest Regional, beating the University of Michigan 25-13.

The team won its first game at the national tournament in the spring before losing in the Final Four.

As good as that team was, this one could be better.

SRU outscored its opponents 228-0 in the regular season and its first two Midwest Regional games before winning a thrilling 27-24 game against Winona State (S.D.) in the regional final Nov. 13.

That sends Slippery Rock to the national tournament in Sanford, Fla., for the second consecutive season. That tournament will be begin April 17.

The team had to replace six starters this season.

"Our ability to play together is a key," Miller said. "We don't have one standout player. We just have a great team."

The team is 30 members strong, thanks to an aggressive recruiting campaign that starts the day freshmen move onto campus.

Members of the team help with the move in and chalk messages on sidewalks to promote the team.

Of the 15 players who play regularly, Miller said nine have scored this season. Only eight are on the field at one time.

Verrette plays flyhalf, which basically is the quarterback of the team.

Verrette and team secretary Meghan Miller met with SRU president Robert Smith last year to talk about making the team a varsity sport.

It was an informal, fact-finding meeting, but Verrette and Meghan Miller came away feeling good about the future of the sport at the university.

Meghan Miller, who played multiple sports at Reynolds High School, also has contacted the U.S. Rugby Association, which hopes to have 10 varsity women's rugby teams by 2010.

There are four teams currently. There must be 40 before the NCAA can have a national champion.

SRU could be one of those teams.

"Everyone knows we are successful," Meghan Miller said. "It's a sport that once you start playing, you are hooked. It's like an addiction."

That's what happened to Butler High graduate Christine Harvey. A softball player for the Golden Tornado, she started playing rugby at Clarion University before transferring to SRU.

The first thing she did after hitting the SRU campus was seek out the rugby team.

"I think it's awesome that there is women's rugby team," Harvey said. "There's not a lot of sports where we can show our tough side."

Most of the players on the team played some kind of sport in high school, from basketball to softball to soccer.

"There are even some former cheerleaders on the team," Harvey said. "How you go from being a cheerleader to playing rugby I don't know.

"It's something different. It's something fun," Harvey added. "And we have a good reputation. That's what winning will do."