FAIRFIELD, CT (December 4, 2016) – The Vassar College women's fencing team battled some of the best teams in the nation on Sunday afternoon, traveling to the Sacred Heart Traditional Tournament for six matches at the Pitt Center.

Vassar (11-9) opened the day with a 24-3 loss to No. 4 Harvard, followed by a tough defeat to the host Pioneers of Sacred Heart 17-10. VC dropped an 18-9 decision to New York University after its lunch break, and then were bested by No. 3 Princeton University 24-3. The final two matches of the day ended with a 21-6 loss to No. 8 Penn State University and a 25-2 defeat at the hands of No. 9 Temple University.

Despite the team decisions, there were many strong outings for the Brewers Sunday over the three weapon groups. In the opening contest of the day's festivities, Vassar got a pair of wins from the epee team, as senior Olivia Weiss and Rose Hulsey-Vincent each knocked off Julia Carstens of the Crimson. Weiss had a thrilling match against 2016 NCAA Qualifer Shawn Wallace, falling 5-4.

Vassar also saw sophomore Sophie Blumenstock earn a win in foil, besting senior Hali Nelson 5-2. The Brewers tested host Sacred Heart in the second match of the day, as the epee team earned a 5-4 win, thanks to two wins each from Weiss and Hulsey-Vincent. The same could be said for VC's foil team, which captured a strong 6-3 win, led by three victories from Blumenstock. Senior Elsa Stoff added two victories, while Mirit Rutishauser also chalked up a bout win. Unfortunately, the Pioneers strong sabre team earned all nine bouts to take the team victory.

After lunch, Vassar and NYU were the lone women's match going on while all other teams enjoyed a break, and VC's epee team once again had a strong showing, earning six of the nine bouts. Against NYU, Weiss captured three more victories, fending off both Stephanie Cunningham and Eileen Wang 5-4. Hulsey-Vincent added two more wins, and Samantha Lottick also earned a tight 5-4 win over Hannah Bennett.

The VC foil team registered three wins against the Violets, highlighted by a pair of wins from Blumenstock. The sophomore outlasted Anastasiya Muravyeva 5-4, while also defeating Alisa Traskunov 5-3. Rutishauser added a nice 5-3 win over Rachel Yuen in the third round of action.

In the fourth match of the day, VC battled one of the top teams in the Ivy League in Princeton, but still were able to capture three victories. The highlight came from Hulsey-Vincent, who defeated the reigning NCAA Championships runner-up Charlene Liu 5-4. Weiss dropped her match with Liu 5-4, but was able to rebound for a 5-4 win over Audrey Abend. Blumenstock added another win in foil, out-touching Isabella Chung 5-3 in the first round.

In the fifth round, Vassar earned six bout wins against Penn State University, including a pair of 5-4 wins by Weiss over Yumin Wang and Anastasia Kolonji. Hulsey-Vincent added to her win total with a 5-4 triumph over Wang, while the VC foil team picked up three victories, including two from Rutishauser and one from Stoff. Against Temple, Weiss chalked up a win over Fiona Fong, and tested NCAA qualifier Safa Ibrahim before dropping a 5-3 decision. Freshman Stephanie Gull also earned a win in sabre, outlasting Blessing Olaode 5-4.

On the day, Weiss led all Vassar fencers with a total of 10 wins to lead the way for Vassar, while Hulsey-Vincent also picked up seven victories for Vassar. The Brewers are off until after the New Year, traveling to Cleveland State University for the Cleveland Invitational Saturday, January 21.