In its first two tournaments this year, the women’s fencing team, under head coach Iryna Dolgikh, has demonstrated considerable improvement from last year, placing well individually at the Temple Open and winning all eight of its contests at the Vassar Invitational.

The Red had been training extensively together in captain’s practices and with Dolgkih at the Andrew P. Stiffel Fencing Salle in the months leading up to its first tournament –– the Temple Open on Oct. 31 –– and has attributed some of its success to changes in its practice habits.

“We’ve started lifting a bit more, and doing more dynamic stretching and agility,” said sophomore captain Rebecca Hirschfield. “I think that’s all good for preparation for competing.”

The team has retained many of its stronger fencers from last year, including All-Ivy senior Katherine Thompson, senior Tasha Hall and Hirschfield. While the loss of Alex Heiss ’09 will adversely affect the sabre squad, several freshmen in the sabre weapon have stepped up for the team.

“Audrey Speer and Beverly Yang, they’re very good fencers … they have good characters, and they’re hardworking,” Dolgikh said.

Speer and Yang finished first and second, respectively, on Cornell’s sabre squad over the weekend. In addition to adding impact fencers, the sabre team has benefited from improvements in last year’s fencers. Last year, the epee and foil led the team in NCAA points, while sabre wasn’t nearly as dependable. This year, Dolgikh has stressed the importance of having three strong squads, and the sabre squad has stepped up.

“[Junior] Katie Helpin has [shown] a very big improvement this year in the sabre from last year,” Dolgikh said. “The sabre team is a very young team but has showed very good unity.”

The Red’s most experienced squad, epee, retains three senior starters: Hall, Thompson and Sallie Dietrich. Both Dietrich and Hall qualified for the NCAA championships and Thompson led the Red in wins with a 41-10 record, earning second-team All-Ivy honors.

Hirschfield, a rookie last year, highlights the foil squad. Hirschfield led the foil fencers at last year’s Ivy League Championships, finishing 7-10. Senior Dana Baines is also expected to lead; Baines finished with a foil team-best 66 winning percentage in her matches last year.

While the Red has numerous tournaments throughout the season, both the fencers and Dolgikh agree that competitions against Ancient Eight rivals and at the Ivy League championships will be the ultimate benchmark for the year.

“I think we would like to beat more of the Ivies later on,” Hall said. “We want to show everyone that the fencing team should be taken pretty seriously … we’ve improved a lot.”

“I hope we will show better results in the Ivy League championship,” Dolgikh said. “Everyone who qualifies for regionals are students from Ivies.”