A brewing rivalry will continue tomorrow when the fencers take their undefeated records to New Haven, Conn., to battle with Yale and Penn.

Penn squeaked out a 14-13 win over the Lions last season, while the Lions beat Penn by one bout the year before.

The difficult task of raising its record to 11-0 will be made harder for the men's team without the service of leading foilist Ed Mufel, who is still out of action with muscle strains. Brad Cellier, Stephen Flores, Stephen Gold and John Orvos will try to pick up the slack and repeat their successful foil performances of a week ago.

"Ed is looked to as a leader," Coach Emmanuil Kaidanov explained. "It will be difficult without him, but the team is learning how to survive on their own."

The Lions' fortunes will heavily depend on continuing stability of the sabre squad. Peter and David Cox, Ki Mun and Jason Krasowitz will need to dominate their bouts.

A strong day from epee fencers Matt Caggiano, Jim Marsh, Joe Orvos and Geoff Russell will also be necessary for sealing a win.

The women's foil squad of Katie Kowalski, Lisa Posthumus, Janet Rossman, Suzzane Paxton, Kris Merski and Captain Amy Barrett will be challenged to advance to 12-0.

Parity is the word for this weekend's tournament. While Penn State lost to Penn last year, the Penn State beat Yale, and Yale in turn beat Penn.

"A lot will depend on the officiating," Kaidanov said. "When the teams are this close, one wrong call can change everything."

Getting the team motivated isn't a problem. The Lions have been looking ahead to this part of their schedule all season long and are prepared.

"The competition is sort of a reward," Assistant Coach Wes Glon said. "It's tough to keep in mind why you're fencing before the season starts, but now there's just so much enthusiasm. They are still hungry to challenge the best squad and they get themselves ready."

Kaidenov pointed out that in terms of NCAA tournament selection, whoever wins or loses this weekend doesn't matter much. The three schools are among the most elite in the nation. But confidence for the NCAA run and an undefeated pride are at stake.