WALTHAM, Mass. – For the fourth-straight meeting, the Brandeis University and Wellesley College fencing teams were separated by one point, but for the third time in that span, the Judges prevailed over the Blue, 14-13 (sabre, 8-1; foil, 2-7; epee, 4-5).
TEAM RECORDS
- Brandeis, 14-19.
- Wellesley, 19-15.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Judges got off to a hot start thanks to the sabre squad, who won eight of their nine bouts. Graduate student Maggie Shealy (Chapel Hill, N.C./East Chapel Hill) and sophomore Kat Xikes (Chatham, N.J./Chatham) each went 3-0, with Shealy allowing just three touches and Xikes four. First-year fencer Olga Sadova (Swampscott, Mass./Swampscott) went 2-1.
- The Blue closed the gap, winning nine of the first 12 bouts in epee and foil to close within 11-10 with six bouts remaining.
- Wellesley foil fencer Edith Po defeated Brandeis junior Alex McKee (Nyack, N.Y./Nyack), 5-3, to tie things at 11 with five matches to go.
- Brandeis pulled ahead when graduate epee fencer Monica Aponte (San Juan, P.R./St. John's School) defeated Riley Weed of Wellesley, 5-1, while first-year foil fencer Livvy Oliveira (Swampscott, Mass./Swampscott) blanked Lauren Khoo, 5-0, for her and the squad's second win of the match to make it 13-11 in favor of the Judges.
- Wellesley's Phoebe Li defeated Brandeis sophomore Hannah Du (Winchester, Mass./Winchester), 5-1, to make it 13-12 and put the pressure on the final two epee matches.
- Junior Calla Lee (Duluth, Ga./Lambert) came off the bench because of an injury and delivered a 5-4 victory over Wellesley's Alisha Li – the Blue's winningest fencer on the season – to clinch the team victory.
- Wellesley's Grace Xu earned a win in the final match of the night to account for the final 14-13 score.
UP NEXT
- Brandeis is off until February 10 and 11 when the Judges travel to Durham, North Carolina, for the Duke Invitational.
