POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. (November 12, 2023) – The Sacred Heart University women's fencing team started slow and finished strong on Sunday at the Vassar Invitational. The Pios dropped their first four contests of the day, but rallied with three straight wins to close out the competition with a 3-4 record. Nadia Gaberkorn (Marlboro, N.J.), Jenna Jacinto (Dix Hills, N.Y.), Valery Krylova (Shelton, Conn.) and Natalie Mataiev (Norwood, Mass.) all recorded double-digit victories for SHU on the day.
 
It was tough sledding out of the gates for the Pioneers, who fell to Cornell, 24-3, Stevens, 15-12, Wagner, 20-7, and Johns Hopkins, 20-7, to open play. The Stevens contest was the most competitive of the quartet, with a 6-3 deficit in the epee proving the difference, despite a 3-0 showing from Gaberkorn. Jacinto and Mataiev also featured prominently in the Stevens match, with sweeps in the foil and sabre, respectively.
 
From there, it was wins all the way down the rest of the afternoon for Sacred Heart. The Pios rebounded after the loss to Johns Hopkins with a 23-3 thrashing of Yeshiva, and kept things rolling through a tight, 15-12, victory over Lafayette and a 20-7 triumph over Hunter.
 
The sabre squad keyed the romp over Yeshiva, with a perfect 9-0 showing, as Krylova, Mataiev and Alexandria Lovasi all swept away the opposition.
 
Against Lafayette, Jacinto posted a sweep on the foil strip to highlight a 7-2 record for the foil squad against the Leopards. The sabre crew added a 6-3 mark as well to help secure the victory.
 
It was sweeps aplenty in the finale against Hunter, as Krylova, Lovasi and Mataiev combined for another 9-0 showing on the sabre front. Jacinto and Sam Syrek added sweeps for a foil lineup which went 8-1 in the final matchup of the day.
 
All told, the sabre squad did the heavy lifting on the day, with a 35-25 record, while SHU finished 25-33 in foil and 17-23 in epee. Krylova (14-6) had the most wins on the day for the Pios, while Gaberkorn and Mataiev both added 13-7 records. Jacinto finished 12-8 on the foil strip.
 
Sacred Heart is back in action next Sunday, when it travels to Boston College for the Northeast Fencing Conference #1 tournament in Chestnut Hill, Mass.