After most of the Penn State men's gymnastics team members had an extra week of practices while five of the gymnasts competed in the Winter Cup, they are all ready to get back to their regular competition schedule.

However, they look at the mid-season break as being a benefit in the long run.

"To have that break away from the meets will make us fresher at the end of the season," Penn State head coach Randy Jepson said. "It may be a little setback in the next couple of weeks, but it will help us in the end."

The No. 3 Nittany Lions (10-0, 2-0 Big Ten) will return to action tomorrow night at 7 in Rec Hall to face interstate rival, No. 9 Temple.

Having two weeks of practice after the Illinois meet on Feb. 2 has given the team a chance to work on perfecting its skills and prepare for the remainder of the season.

"We were able to make some visible improvements in practice and hopefully we'll be able to show those at the meet," junior Zack Roeder said.

Pommel horse continues to be a problem area for the gymnasts, but improvements have been made since the start of the season.

"Our pommel horse is improving and we're getting better and better," Jepson said. "We have very good routines. If we can hit them, we'll be very good."

The Owls will not be too much of a challenge for the Lions, as they have been posting lower scores, but the Lions will still have to be at their best to ensure a victory.

"(Temple head coach Fred Turoff) has always done a great job with his team," Jepson said. "He doesn't always get the top talent, but he trains them well and they are always a very good team."

The main concern for the Lions tomorrow night will be continuing to improve their team score in order to maintain their high standing in the national rankings.

"For us, we are competing on nationally every week," junior all-arounder Matt Abboud said. "It's not like we have a team come in here and we have to beat them like other teams. It's a national ranking every weekend, so we have to improve every weekend on our score."

Tomorrow's meet will be another step as the team works its way toward their ultimate test: the Big Ten and NCAA Championships. Thus far, Jepson has been content with what his team has shown him.

"I'm really pleased with where our team is," he said. "If you would have told me that right now we'd be in the top three in the country with the team we have, I wouldn't have said we'd be there."

"The guys have just worked so hard. They've done everything they needed to do to be where we are, so it's a great testament to them."