Women's Fencing 12/2/2019 9:41:00 AM

Bulldogs Defeat Three of Four Opponents at Brandeis Invitational

Yale Knocks Off Boston College, Brandeis & MIT

The Yale women's fencing team had a strong showing at the Brandies Invitational, winning three of four bouts. Yale opened the day with a 16-11 victory against Boston College. The foil squad had a near perfect record; after losing the very first bout, starters Camille Pham, Emme Zhou and Anna Zhou won the next eight consecutive bouts to finish with an 8-1 win. The saber squad pulled through a narrow 5-4 win; starters Sophia Zhuang, Sydney Hirsch and Lauren Kim went undefeated in the second round. The epee squad lost 6-3, but contributed to the 14 overall victories necessary to win the meet.

The Bulldogs then earned a decisive 21-6 victory against Brandeis. The foil squad maintained their outstanding 8-1 record, starting Anna Zhou, Emme Zhou and Camille Pham and substituting in Jenny Zhao and Julia Balch. Anna Zhou again won all three of her bouts, and Balch remains undefeated for the season, winning her two bouts 5-0 and 5-1. The saber squad again pulled through with a 5-4 win. The epee squad, rebounding from the Boston College lineup, secured an 8-1 victory. Starters Joy Ma, Michelle Nam and Rakel Tanibajeva swept the first five bouts. Tanibajeva, Ma and Jacqueline Hayre-Perez were undefeated, with Tanibajeva fencing all three rounds and Ma substituting out after the second round to allow Hayre-Perez a bout in the third round.

After lunch, the Bulldogs had a heartbreaking 14-13 loss against St John's, reversing last year's equally close 14-13 victory. The foil squad won 5-4. The saber squad lost 3-6, with starters Zhuang, Hirsch and Kim each winning a bout and losing several bitter bouts 4-5. The epee squad won 5-4, with Nam going undefeated against all three of her opponents.

The Bulldogs rebounded with a 20-7 win against MIT. The foil squad won 9-0, with Zhao, Pham, Anna Zhou, Emme Zhou, and Balch going undefeated. The saber squad narrowly lost 4-5. The epee squad had a 7-2 victory; both Wang and Linda Liu went undefeated, winning against all three of their opponents. Liu had a particularly strong +10 indicator, losing no more than two touches to any opponent.

The final lineup against Wellesley was cancelled due to unfavorable weather conditions.

Yale is now off until the Penn State Invitational on Jan. 12.

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Players Mentioned

Lauren Kim: Saber; Junior

Joy Ma: Epee; Sophomore

Michelle Nam: Epee; Senior

Camille Pham: Foil; Junior

Anna Zhou: Foil; Senior

Jenny Zhao: Foil; Senior

Emme Zhou: Foil; First Year

Julia Balch: Foil; First Year

Sophia Zhuang: Saber; First Year

Sydney Hirsch: Saber; First Year

Linda Liu: Epee; First Year

Rakel Tanibajeva: Epee; First Year

Players Mentioned

Lauren Kim
: Junior
: Saber

Joy Ma
: Sophomore
: Epee

Michelle Nam
: Senior
: Epee

Camille Pham
: Junior
: Foil

Anna Zhou
: Senior
: Foil

Jenny Zhao
: Senior
: Foil

Emme Zhou
: First Year
: Foil

Julia Balch
: First Year
: Foil

Sophia Zhuang
: First Year
: Saber

Sydney Hirsch
: First Year
: Saber

Linda Liu
: First Year
: Epee

Rakel Tanibajeva
: First Year
: Epee