PROVIDENCE, RI (January 22, 2001) — In a crucial multi-meet which saw the Vassar College Women's Fencing Team face their first official action in the Northeast Conference, the Brewers — unlike the team bus — rolled, battling for a 5-1 finish on the day and placing themselves firmly in control for the League Championship.

Though they had faced — and beaten — in-conference rival Sacred Heart during an early match-up, the field at Brown University provided the first meetings which officially count towards final conference standings. The line-up for the woman consisted of several formidably teams, with Brown, Tufts, Smith, Boston College, Brandeis and MIT all meeting the Brewers for the first time this season. When all was said and done, the Brewers improved their season record to a staggering 24-5—something made all the more impressive when considering that 3 of the 5 losses came against Division I teams currently ranked in the Top 10 nationally.

Though the day had an inauspicious start, with the team bus breaking down en route to Providence, forcing a delay of over 90 minutes, the Brewers put forth a tremendous effort, and came up only a single bout short of sweeping the field for the fourth time in 5 meets this season. On the strength of their performance, the Brewers are now in complete control of their destiny within the conference: as the only team with fewer than two conference losses, the Brewers need only to win out against the remaining teams in the Northeastern Conference when the travel to Wellesley on Saturday, February 6th. Should they sweep the field, which consist of only two actual NCAA teams (Wellesley and Sacred Heart) and a host of clubs (UMass, UNH, Dartmouth and Boston University), the Brewers will secure the league championship for the first time in program history.

Here's a round-by-round breakdown of the Brewers' day:

Round 1: Bye

The Brewers were originally slated to face Smith in the first round, but due to bus troubles arrived late. Thanks to a bit of luck in the schedule, the Brewers were able to face Smith later in the day.

Round 2: Vassar 14, Brown 13

Right off the bat, the Brewers faced a stiff challenge from the home team Brown Bears, with the fate of the match in doubt until the very final bout, a foil duel which sophomore Katie LeClair won 5-1. The foil squad was the only weapon to fall against Brown, losing by a score of 3-6 with each starter securing only a single victory. However, the foil squad managed to step up in the clutch for the big win when it was most needed, providing Vassar with its first ever victory over the Brown Bears. The epee side led the way, beating Brown by a 6-3 tally behind the 3-0 efforts of senior Sophie Courser, and the sabre unit managed a 5-4 victory thanks largely to the 2-1 marks of senior co-captain Julie Carlsen and freshman Hallie Stotler.

Round 3: Vassar 17, Tufts 10

Coming off a thrilling, emotional and historic win over Brown, the Brewers continued a roll against the Jumbos. Foil managed to recover for this round, leading the way with a 7-2 mark against Tufts, with senior co-captain Jackie Kory posting a perfect 3-0 record. Both epee and sabre managed victories by an identical 5-4 score, with Courser and sophomore Caitlin Clevenger finishing 2-1 in epee, and Carlsen and Stotler both doing the same in sabre.

Round 4: Vassar 19, Smith 8

Thanks to bit of luck, with the Brewers and Pioneers both being originally scheduled for a bye in the fourth round, the two teams managed to make-up for the missed meeting in Round 1, and Vassar was quick to capitalize on the chance. The Brewers' foil squad built upon its mark against Tufts with a team-best 8-1 victory over Smith, with Kory and LeClair both finishing perfect. The epee side posted a 6-3 victory of their own, with Courser, Clevenger and junior Veronica Weser all going a perfect 2-0 before subbing out in the final round of bouts. Vassar's smallest margin of victory came with the sabre squad, who ground out a close 5-4 win, bolstered by Carlsen's 3-0 performance.

Round 5: Vassar 14, BC 13

Having only beaten the Eagles for the first time last season, the Brewers managed to make it two in a row this year, led by the epee squad's 6-3 finish. Courser again anchored the squad with a perfect 3-0 record, but both Clevenger and Weser contributed victories to the final tally as well. The sabre unit also managed to defeat the Eagles, this time by the hard-fought score of 5-4 on the back of a perfect run by junior Brooke Schieffer. BC managed to take the foil side, however, defeating the Brewers 6-3, with LeClair posting the only winning mark (2-1).

Round 6: Vassar 15, Brandeis 12

Vassar managed to score another historic victory on the day, defeating the Brandeis Judges for the first time in program history thanks mainly to a dominating 8-1 victory by the epee squad. The squad rode the talents of Courser and Weser against the Judges, with both women finishing 3-0 against the field. The foil side also came out on top, though by the much closer margin of 5-4, behind twin 2-1 efforts by Kory and LeClair. The sabre squad took a beating though, falling 2-7 to the Judges, with Carlsen providing both wins.

Round 7: Vassar 13, MIT 14

Vassar dropped a heartbreaker against the Engineers, coming up a single bout short from a clean sweep and yet another historic victory. The Brewers had their chances against MIT, with the match ending in exciting fashion as both Courser and Carlsen fenced simultaneously to close the day, both needing victories to overcome the Engineers. While Courser managed to win her bout, finishing first (and finishing a perfect 3-0 yet again as the epee side knocked off MIT by a 7-2 score), Carlsen did not, falling 3-5 in the last bout of the meet. MIT's dominance in sabre—a 9-0 run of the table—proved to be the back-breaker in this one. The foil squad managed to finish strong, posting a 6-3 mark behind another pair of 3-0 efforts by Kory and LeClair, but it wasn't enough to push the Brewers over the hump.

The Brewers will next travel to Yale on Monday, January 31 for a 7:00 P.M. meeting with the Bulldogs in order to make up for the postponed match which was scheduled for the January 18. After that, they travel to Wellesley on Saturday, February 6 to face the remaining teams in the Northeast Conference with a simple formula: win, and bring home the glory.