Cables dangle from the support beams. Tools hang on a nearby wall. Red and black mats form a protective cocoon for the competitors.

But these aren't ordinary competitors and this is no ordinary Slippery Rock basement.

On most nights, a place to store things turns into a place to use pent-up aggression on wrestling mats.

And, for the Brendlinger girls, it's a place to tread where few of their ilk have gone before.

Kayla, 14, Kelsey, 11, and Kandice, 8, are like most sisters: they spend their nights tussling with each other.

Only this tussling is supervised by their father and coach, RonBrendlinger, on wrestling mats strewn on the floor in the cramped family basement.

Brother Kyle, 17, also gets in on the fun.

The elder Brendlinger was an assistant coach under Fred Powell in the SlipperyRock High wrestling program.

"We call it The Dungeon," he said about the family's basement/wrestling room. "We're down there almost every night."

The wrestling wars have paid off.

After finishing in fifth place at the U.S. Girls WrestlingAssociation National Championships last year in Texas, Kayla placed third earlier this month in Livonia, Mich.

She pinned Taylor Lee in the 97.5-pound weight class in the third-place consolation final.

Her younger sisters also competed at the national event. Kelsey finished second and Kandice third in their age and weight classes.

"We had no idea they would do that well," Ron Brendlinger said. "We put them in some pretty tough tournaments, tournaments people told us we had no business being in, and they did well."

Kayla, whose nickname is Moose, is a big fan of the film "Million Dollar Baby." The movie is about a female boxer and her battle to become a professional fighter.

She sees many similarities in her own struggle to be accepted as a wrestler.

"It's a tough sport," she said. "It takes a lot for a girl to get out on a mat. Not many girls you see would want to do it."

Kayla plans to wrestle for the high school team next year.

For now, however, she is content to wrestle in high-profile girls tournaments and teach the craft to her younger siblings.

She's had a good role model in her father.

"My dad wrestled in high school and then in college," Kayla said. "When I was a little girl, he got me involved.

"We watched wrestling on TV. We went to college matches. I just loved it."

Kayla's grasp on the mental side of the sport belies her youth.

"I would say I have the will power," she said. "I can accomplish as many things as I can if I do the work. I kind of believe in myself.

"It's a very mental sport. You can't let anything bug you."

Kayla takes on her brother, nicknamed Woocie, and gets humbled enough to know she doesn't want to feel that in live matches.

She tries to impart as much knowledge as she can to Kelsey, nicknamed Blondie, and Kandice, nicknamed Red.

"This is their first year," Kayla said. "They are still learning. For first-year wrestlers, they are pretty good. They focus their minds. They have a love for the sport and they do it a lot."

Kayla's work ethic is impressive. After school, she jogs three miles, then spends her time on the mats in the basement.

It even has her father and coach amazed.

"I'm a coach and I've seen quite a few wrestlers go through," he said. "The most dedicated wrestler I've seen is my daughter."