PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The Brandeis women's fencing team went 5-1 at their second Northeast Fencing Conference meet of the season, including a pair of 14-13 victories over rivals Boston College and Brown. The Judges also topped Smith (19-8), Tufts (19-8) and Dartmouth (20-7), with their only loss coming at the hands of Vassar (12-15). The Brewers currently lead the NFC, with one conference meet left to go. Brandeis's NFC schedule is complete, and the Judges stand at 10-2, tied for second with MIT.

In the two tightly contested matches, Brandeis pulled out a 5-4 win in the deciding weapon. Against BC, the Judges and Eagles each took a 7-2 win in the saber and foil, respectively. In the epee, the teams went 4-4 down to the last match. Senior epee Emma Larkin (Montclair, N.J./Montclair Kimberley Acad.) rallied from 4-3 down to win the last two touches against Anabel Young to earn the victory.

The Brown match also came down to the final bout. Brandeis won the epee, 7-2, and edged the Bears in saber, 5-4. The Judges only took two bouts in the foil, but that included the most important bout of the match, where sophomore Vikki Nunley (Glen Gardner, N.J./Voorhees) earned a 5-1 win over Brown junior Akiko Kunitomo.

Overall on the day, the saber squad was the team's most impressive, going 6-0 with just 12 losses combined. Senior Anna Hanley (Medford, Mass./Lexington Christian) went 15-1 on the day, with her only loss coming against Brown, while sophomore Zoe Messenger (Short Hills, N.J./Millburn) went 9-3.