MEDFORD, MA (February 11, 2017) – The Northeast Fencing Conference finished its fencing slate on Saturday afternoon, hosting the third and final day of conference action at Tufts University in Cozzens Gymnasium. Vassar fenced seven times and picked up five match victories, finishing the conference season with seven wins in 2016-17.

The Brewers started the afternoon with a 23-4 throttling of the University of New Hampshire, but would drop their next match to Dartmouth College 15-12. VC rallied to knock off Boston University 19-8, but fell in its next outing to Wellesley College in a thriller 14-13. The Brewers would then finish the afternoon with three straight victories, taking down Sacred Heart 14-13, the University of Massachusetts 19-8 and Smith College 21-6.

Vassar opened with a 23-4 victory over UNH, as the foil team went 9-0 and the epee squad chalked up an 8-1 win. Senior Elsa Stoff posted three wins to start her afternoon, while sophomores Mirit Rutishauser and Sophie Blumenstock had no issues in sweeping their three bouts. The epee squad saw Olivia Weiss and Rose Hulsey-Vincent both cruise to 3-0 matches, and freshman Sasha Czarnik also chalked up two triumphs including a 5-4 win over Rose Leone.

In sabre, Annie Innes-Gold continued to make a bid for NFC Fencer of the Year with three wins, while Lilia Hutchinson was 2-1 in her three bouts. In round three, the Brewers dropped a close 15-12 decision as Dartmouth's sabre team was able to pick up a 7-2 decision. In foil, Blumenstock and Rutishauser each corralled two victories, including an exciting 5-4 win for Rutishauser over Ellie Ng.

The epee team saw Weiss post three more wins, and Hulsey-Vincent helped the epee team pick up the squad win with a 2-1 record. Innes-Gold added two wins in sabre, but the Big Green claimed the other seven bouts to help pull out the match for Dartmouth. In round four, VC rebounded with a 19-8 win, thanks to nine wins from the foil team.

All three starters for the foil squad cruised to three wins, while Innes-Gold was undefeated in her three bouts in sabre. Weiss continued her dominant day with three wins, and Hulsey-Vincent, Czarnik and Samantha Lottick all collected victories.

In round five, Vassar and Wellesley battled down to the last bout, as the Blue captured a nail-biting 14-13 win. Stoff picked up three more wins at epee, as she continued to cruise, while Rutishauser pulled out two more triumphs including a 5-4 win over Taylor Hood. In epee, Weiss upped her record to 12-0 on the day with three more wins, while Hulsey-Vincent chalked up a pair of 5-3 wins. Innes-Gold was able to earn two of her three bouts, but Wellesley earned the rest to pull out the victory.

Vassar wouldn't let the Wellesley match deter them though, turning around to pick a 14-13 win over Sacred Heart. The win for VC over the Pioneers was its first since the 2010-11 season, when the Brewers defeated SHU twice.

The foil team racked up another win with a 5-4 decision, as Blumenstock was 3-0, followed by a 6-3 win for the epee squad. Hulsey-Vincent posted three clutch wins, featuring a 5-4 win over Sam Abbott, and Weiss also picked up two wins as well. Innes-Gold was her same dominant self, collecting three wins including a 5-3 win over NCAA qualifier Julia Greene.

Against UMass, Vassar saw the epee team collect eight wins while the foil team was 7-2 in the victory. Stoff was 2-1 in the win over the Minutewomen, while Rutishauser chalked up two wins and Blumenstock posted another three bout wins. Weiss was perfect in epee, as was Hulsey-Vincent while Czarnik added two wins. Kati Kim would rack up two wins in sabre, while Innes-Gold also chalked up a pair of 5-2 wins.

In the day's finale, Vassar had no troubles with its Seven Sisters foe, as all three weapon groups earned wins. The epee team was 8-1 against the Pioneers, thanks to three wins apiece from Weiss and Hulsey-Vincent, and the foil quad got three bout triumphs from Rutishauser along with two from Blumenstock. In sabre, Innes-Gold finished off an amazing conference schedule with three more wins, while Kim finished strong with two victories.

The Brewers will head travel to Columbia University on Wednesday evening to battle the defending national title holders in Columbia, while also fencing New York University at 4 p.m. in the Big Apple.