M. Fencing looks for first Ivy victory at home vs. Yale

Yale, which is known as an aggesssive team, will have plenty spirit with it at Weightman Gym. The Penn men's fencing team is out for Elis blood this weekend, which is not hard when you hold a foil, epee or sabre in your hand. "This weekend could be a good type of revenge," said sophomore foiler Cliff Bayer, who is coming off a hamstring injury suffered in South America with the U.S. national team. After a crushing 18-9 loss to Yale last year, Penn has vowed not to let it happen again. The Quakers' entire team fell to the Elis, including the foil team which was defeated 7-2. "That is pretty ridiculous," Penn coach Dave Micahnik said. The Quakers (6-2) are hosting their first home meet this Saturday at 2 p.m. in the Weightman Gym against Yale (4-1). The team is hoping that home advantage will come to its aid. "There is a little bit more pressure to win at home," Penn assistant coach Boris Tsypenyuk. "But an athlete should be able to perform in any setting. It depends on the psychological readiness." Yale is only Penn's second Ivy League opponent of the season. The Quakers fell to the Tigers, 15-12, in December. "[Princeton and Yale] are both strong but different teams," said Tsypenyuk. "Yale is always in a battling mood. They are Bulldogs." In fencing, Yale is know as an aggressive team that crowds not only it's opponents but even the referees. The Elis' team spirit is also a major factor. "They can make our home their home," said Tsypenyuk. "They are very strong as a team." In addition to their attitude, the Elis they have proven veterans to back their record. Like Penn, Yale sports an Olympian, Peter Devine, who was Bayer's roommate at the 1996 Atlanta Games. "They know each other so well," Tsypenyuk said about Devine and Bayer. "They have both fenced each other so many times and they will both do what is necessary to win." "It all depends who wants it more," added Micahnik. "At NCAAs Cliff [Bayer] wanted it more." Bayer is looking forward to the matchup against his childhood friend. "It is always nice to fence with him," Bayer said. "We have a good rivalry. We have fenced each other so many times, I am sure that we know each other's games in-and-out. It is just something you have to take as it comes." Yale's potency runs deeper, strengthening their foil team. Their second foiler, Ayo Griffen, only a week ago came home with a North American circuit under-20 title. Penn has to meet the challenge, especially with freshman foiler, David Cohen, out for at least a week with a soft tissue injury to the index finger on his fencing hand. But there are other freshman who are proving themselves in the intercollegiate arena. Charles Hamann, epee, and Michael Golia, sabre, have both fared extremely well. Golia went 13-0 at last week's mega-meet at Penn State. Micahnik feels that they can win in foil, but Epee will be the key to the meet. Penn is not worried with freshmen Michael Leiseca and Hamann holding down that weapon. "I love competition," Bayer. said. "I think that the key will be concentration, starting strong from the very beginning and a lot of intensity. I think that those are the three main points."