(Poughkeepsie, NY) - Junior Chana Gila Ovits (Brooklyn, NY/Prospect Park Yeshiva) won eight total bouts during a tremendous day of competition, and the Maccabee Epee team scored a stellar win over Marist College as the Yeshiva University Women's Fencing team enjoyed a terrific day of competition at the Vassar College Invitational on Nov. 9, 2008. While the Maccabees finished the day with an 0-6 record, their effort against mainly Division I competition was nothing short of sensational.
The Maccabees opened the day with a 21-6 loss to CCNY with YU notching wins in both Foil and Epee. During Foil, sophomore Eliana Shaul (Montreal, Canada/Hebrew Academy) won her first match, 5-4, and sophomore Tamar Veres (Montreal, Canada/Hebrew Academy) notched a 5-0 win during the final round of competition. Yeshiva then lost 5-4 during Epee as Gila Ovits opened with a 5-2 win, senior Janine Rothenberg (East Brunswick, NJ/Bruriah) won 5-2 during the second round, and Gila Ovits and Rothenberg both won during the final round as YU showed improvement throughout the match.
Next up was a match with Division I Rutgers as YU fell 22-5 to the Scarlet Knights. The YU Epee team was impressive once again, falling 5-4 as Gila Ovits and Rothenberg each won twice. Also for YU, sophomore Nava Unterman (Bergenfield, NJ/Ma'ayanot) won for the first time this season, scoring a 5-2 win at Sabre.
After a break, YU returned to the floor to face Division I powerhouse Sacred Heart, and despite several close bouts, the Maccabees fell 24-3. Yeshiva notched a win in each weapon as Shaul was a 5-1 winner during the third round of Foil, Unterman scored a 5-2 win during the third round of Sabre, and Gila Ovits was a 5-1 winner during the first round of Epee.
After two straight matches against top Division I competition, YU enjoyed two outstanding matches in a row, losing 20-6 to host Vassar and 19-8 to Division I Marist. Yeshiva's best match of the day was against Marist as Gila Ovits won all three rounds of competition at Epee and Rothenberg won twice at Epee as Yeshiva was victorious, 6-3 in the Epee weapon. Also for YU, sophomore Devorah Rahimian (Springfield, NY/Soille Bais Yaakov) was a 5-4 winner during the second round of Sabre, and sophomore Naomi Friede (San Diego, CA/Torah San Diego) won 5-1 during the final round of Sabre.
Yeshiva closed the day with a 25-2 loss to Drew University that saw Shaul and Rothenberg each score a win.
Yeshiva returns to action on Sunday, Nov. 23 when the Maccabees travel to Ithaca, New York for the Cornell University Invitational.
