When a team leader goes down, one of two things can happen: the other team members can step up and fill the void, or the void can get so huge that even great individual performances won't be enough for the win.

This past weekend in New Haven, Conn., when the Penn State fencers took on the Yale Bulldogs, the second scenario fit the Lady Lion squad's valiant performance. With team captain Olga Kalinovskaya sick at home, the team lost 18-14.

However, one bright spot was the foil performance of freshman Claire Jackson, who went 2-2. Her two wins were over Yale's two best women fencers -- team captain Maggie Super, a State College High School alumna, and Alison Calabia. But the victories came only after Jackson regrouped from her two early losses.

"If I had won my first two bouts, I would be the happiest girl alive right now," she said. "I pulled myself together and went for it because I really wanted those last two wins."

The foil squad lost to the Bulldogs 11-5, but Lion Assistant Coach Wes Glon stressed that much of the loss can be credited to the absence of Kalinovskaya.

"Olga's absence was a huge loss because from her, we usually expect three victories," Glon said. "We really missed her."

In the only other women's weapon, epee, the Lady Lions won 9-7 with both Polo Wagner and Carol Klein going 3-1.

As for the team's loss, Jackson said it was water under the bridge.

"We're upset that we lost," she said, "but we have to put it behind us and focus on next weekend."

On the men's side, the Lions defeated Yale, 16-11, with Andy Gearhart turning in one of several top performances of the day. Gearhart defeated one of the best men's foil fencers in the country, Peter Devine. With his victory, Gearhart avenged his loss to Devine from two years ago and remained undefeated on the season (25-0).

Other top notch performances were handed in by epee fencer Greg Gregor and sabre fencer Serge Lilov, who both went 3-0. Teammate Jeff Feinblatt said it was Gregor's performance that helped the Lions win.

"Greg's perfomance this weekend was key," he said. "He was a big factor in our win."

Glon said it was the leadership of Gerahart and Lilov that helped the Lions to victory.

"Andy and Serge gave very solid performances because they're both very experienced, and they don't choke under pressure," he said. "Then, when the other team members see the leaders doing well, it has a positive effect on them."

The pressure Glon was referring to was the noise the Lions were expecting to encounter.

"It was definitely noisy, and (Yale) continued to be loud after we had beaten them," Feinblatt said. "But it was only a factor after the first few bouts, then most of us were able to close it all out and focus."