Two teams working together is always better than one, and the Penn State women's gymnastics team is hoping a tag team with its male counterpart will boost its chances this weekend.

Both squads of Nittany Lions will travel to Columbus, Ohio, tomorrow to face Ohio State for the first and only double-dual meet of the season. The team last competed two weeks ago, when it hosted No. 10 Nebraska, Rutgers and Yale for its last home meet of the season. The Lions pulled out a close upset against the Cornhuskers and is hoping to feed off that success.

Coming off their bye week, the currently unranked Lions will be fresh and itching for a matchup when they meet a Buckeye team that has been on the road for the past four weeks. The meet will also give the team some more Big Ten experience as it begins the steady climb to the Big Ten Championships. Currently, Penn State is 0-2 in the Big Ten, after losing to No. 8 Michigan and No. 20 Minnesota earlier in the season.

"I think it will be a really good chance to get a Big Ten matchup, but we want to do as well as we can and not worry about the matchup," senior Meredith Hoover said.

Hoover, who was competing through minor injuries in the first half of the season, is healthier after the off week and ready to pick up where she left off. Against Nebraska, she had season highs on vault, balance beam and floor exercise and got a season high in the all-around with a score of 39.225, which gave her second place in the meet.

"Having your season high at senior meet, you can't really ask for anything better," Hoover said.

Other Lions who were nursing minor injuries include senior Michelle Ilg and sophomore Lindsay Borkan. Borkan, who has been out since last season with an Achilles tendon injury, competed in three events last time out and will see more time on the uneven bars, beam and maybe vault. Shephard stressed, however, that gymnastics is a team effort and everyone needs to be on her game.

Seniors Jennifer Orlando and Lisa Clark, who were standouts on vault and floor last time out, are also looking to build off their success. Orlando, who was honored with the Ann Carr award last meet, had a career high on vault and in the all-around. The Lions have high expectations to live up to after last meet's performance.

"Our goals are to continue to hit routines. We still haven't hit 24 for 24, like we are capable of. That remains a goal that we haven't achieved yet," Penn State women's gymnastics coach Steve Shephard said.

The Lions have spent their time off wisely by fixing small errors in their execution and performance. A lot of time was spent on the beam last week, an area that has not been very solid this year. However, the team looks solid when it performs together.

"There is not any one specific problem. Each individual has certain things they need to work on. But as a team, we don't have any glaring issues," Shephard said.

On paper, the Lions are stronger than the Buckeyes in every event and in meet averages. However, the team is not looking for just another "W." Rather, it wants to come together and perform to the best of its ability.

"I don't think, for us, it's a matter of wining a meet. The season isn't about wins or losses. It's about coming together as a team and doing the best we can as a team and hopefully getting the scores we deserve," junior Corissa Pirkl said.