The women's gymnastics team got only two days of practice this week before it left for Michigan yesterday.

But the Nittany Lions aren't complaining.

"We do better when we feel fresh; we are more prepared," senior Kate Stopper said.

Penn State (3-4, 2-0 Big Ten) will need to be fresh as it faces No. 3 Michigan (4-0, 2-0). The Lions haven't beaten Michigan since Feb. 13, 1988.

For that reason, the team said it considers Michigan its biggest Big Ten rival. Last season the Wolverines beat Penn State in the Big Ten Championships, 196.375-196.075.

During the two days of practice the concentration has been on beam, but overall the idea was to polish everything. Penn State coach Steve Shephard said bars and beam have been better, but they need to be improved, while floor exercise and vault are generally good.

Lindsey Bruck, who won the all-around competition last weekend when the Wolverines faced Minnesota, Ohio State and Maryland, leads Michigan and was named Big Ten Gymnast of the Week for her performance. One of the Wolverines' seniors, Chelsea Kroll, is out for the season, as she ruptured her achilles tendon in meet warm-ups.

All but one gymnast returns from last year's Penn State team that came close to beating Michigan, and freshman Lindsay Borkan and Kristal Uzelac have contributed. Stopper said she thinks this team is better than last year.

"We're nipping them in the bud," she said.

Penn State found made its way back into the GymInfo top 25 poll after last weekend's wins, coming in at No. 20.

Junior Lisa Clark summed up the Lions' mentality after the win last weekend.

"We're ready for Michigan."