Halfway through successful season, Elis 'want the Ivy back'

Facing two teams that were perhaps the toughest competition of the season, the sixth-ranked women's fencing team made an impressive showing in N.Y. this past weekend against St. John's and Notre Dame.

COURTESY SPORTS PUBLICITY Women's fencing took down Brandeis with ease.

Opening with a tough morning match against St. John's, ranked second in the nation, the Yale women suffered their first loss of the season, falling 20-7. The sabre team, led by Sophie Jones, DC '03, and Sada Jacobson, MC '04, fought St. John's to the final bout but lost the heartbreaker with a final score of 5-4. However, the team recovered quickly from the St. John's loss, defeating seventh-ranked Notre Dame in a close match, 15-12.

Captain Helen Liu, MC '02, and Jennifer Joseph, CC '04, led the foil team in a 6-3 win. The sabre team also came away with a victory, winning 5-4 through the efforts of Jones, Jacobson, and Wyley Proctor, CC '02. The epée team came up short in a 5-4 loss. But Dana Weiss, JE '01, led a valiant effort, going 2-1 against Notre Dame.

Joseph noted the team's resilience in the Notre Dame victory. "We found the energy we needed and bounced back," she said. Jones echoed Joseph's sentiment. "We brought the energy level up between matches and regrouped for Notre Dame," she said. In addition to a strong team performance, several individuals made strong showings. Sabrist Sada Jacobson went undefeated against two nationally-ranked teams.

Although not as talented as Yale's weekend competition, a fired-up Brandeis team challenged the squad at Payne Whitney Gymnasium on Tues., Jan. 23. However, Yale was ready; the team's preparation showed in convincing 20-7 victory. "Brandeis provided the team with a chance to come together, and everyone put forth a strong performance," Jones said.

Yale's victory was a total team effort, with foil winning 8-1, sabre winning 7-2, and epée winning a close match, 5-4. The Brandeis match marked the midway point for the Yale women, who are now 6-1 (1-0 Ivy). The team realizes that preparation is critical for the Ivy League schedule, which includes Harvard and defending champion Princeton. The team has one goal, which Jones described aptly: "We want the Ivy back!" —Sam Webb

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