Women Carve Up Hostile Rhodes, 14-2

A band-aid wouldn't do it. Nor would an ace bandage, or, for that matter, any combination of cloth and plaster of Paris. In fact, all the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't put the University of Rhode Island back together again after the 8-0 women's fencing team hacked them apart 14-2 last night in Rhode Island.

The ill-mannered Rhode Island squad contributed to its own demise in the lopsided meet by denying the Crimson several accepted fencing courtesies and thus angering them before the first bout. After the meet Harvard captain Nancy Cooper admitted "We were very angry. We're sorry we lost any bouts, we're sorry we lost any touches, we're sorry we left them alive."

Cooper herself gave Rhode Island one of its only two victories in her first bout against Lisa Hornyak. Missing with her lunges and parrying slowly, Cooper fell 5-2. In her next duel, however, she came back to edge Susan Wiener, 5-4, forcefully parrying her big opponent's last attack and then counter-attacking for the touch. Cooper then thrashed her last two adversaries 5-1 and 5-0.

The Crimson's Leslie Feder, fencing in her first varsity match since being sidelined with an ankle injury in early January, absorbed the only other Crimson loss, losing her first bout to the Rams' Jane Shank, 5-4. However, Feder rebounded well to take her last three ducis easily, 5-3, 5-1 and 5-3.

Cooper commented later that while Feder fenced well she must "think more" and use other moves besides the one she used with success yesterday if she is to do well against Yale on Saturday.

The other two Crimson fencers, Kathy Lowry and Debbie Sze easily beat all of their opponents, each allowing only six points in the process.

Rhode Island's inexperience aside, it's clear that the Harvard women's fencing team taught those humpty dumpties a lesson.