The Penn men's fencing team enters a whirlwind of competition this weekend, as it faces Yale at home before traveling to Brandeis for a multi-meet.
The Quakers are fresh off a sparkling performance. Last weekend at Penn State, they finished a perfect 4-0.
"The whole team fenced really well last weekend," Penn sophomore Jeff Breen said. "We're going to go in there and do the same thing we did last weekend and hopefully come out with an undefeated record."
The Saturday match against Yale at Weightman Gym marks the first Ivy League opponent of the year for the Red and Blue. Getting off on the right foot is critical.
"We definitely have most of our focus on Yale," Breen said. "They're our first Ivy League competition, so that's a match we're really going to be trying hard on."
"They're a good team, they all train hard."
Penn coach Dave Micahnik sees larger implications against the Elis.
"I want the team to get on a roll and to find their identity," Micahnik said. "They have to believe in themselves as a championship-quality team.
"That only happens if they get out there and get into a winning routine."
After Yale, the Quakers head to Brandeis to face the host Judges, Brown, Boston College, MIT and -- most importantly -- NYU.
"Probably the strongest team we'll fence is NYU," Penn junior Dan Borden said. "They're very competitive -- they fence a number of quality teams.
"I think our focus will be on NYU."
More than individual victories, however, the Red and Blue hope to continue the success they reaped at Penn State.
"Plenty of coaches have said over the years that winning can be a habit," Micahnik said. "We now have a nice streak going and that should give the team some confidence.
"I think we're good enough to win a whole bunch of meets this weekend, which is what I'm looking for."
Moreover, the Quakers developed certain trends last weekend that are critical to the team's future success.
"We learned how to win close matches and probably gained some team unity, as well," Borden said. "We were really supportive of each other last weekend, so I think that it will carry into the rest of the season.
"Hopefully it continues into this weekend."
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