Notre Dame drops close bouts, falls to Penn State
By MIKE CONNOLLY
Associate Sports Editor
The women's fencing team learned the hard way Sunday that little mistakes can add up to a big loss as the team fell to the defending national champion Penn State Nittany Lions, 21-6.
The Irish lost seven 5-4 bouts to the Nittany Lions. Notre Dame must win those close bouts to beat a tough team like Penn State, according to head coach Yves Auriol.
"It should have been a lot closer," he said. "There is a mental lack of experience. [Senior] Magda [Krol] should deal better with those kind of situations. It is a sign. When you win the 4-4 matches, it means you are sharp and focused."
Krol is the only Irish women's fencer with NCAA experience. Six of the Irish starters are competing for the first time at the collegiate level while two other starters rarely started before this year.
"Penn State has very experienced fencers," Krol said. "Their whole starting lineup has been fencing for several years and in the NCAAs. Penn State has a good tradition of experienced fencers and our fencers are just beginning to step up."
Mental sharpness is critical for improvement and winning close bouts, according to epee captain Kim DeMaio.
"Fencing is such a head game," she said. "When we get to 4-4, it is just more of a mental thing. We get more worried about what our fencers are doing. We just have to focus on our game."
Against the other five teams the Irish faced on Sunday, Notre Dame was sharp and picked up five wins. Only against the Nittany Lions was the Irish inexperience a factor.
"Overall we fenced pretty well," DeMaio said. "Penn State came in with all the hype and the experience and they are a lot deeper than us. But we pulled it out against the other teams."
The 5-1 record on Sunday improved the Irish to 10-1 on the season. Wins over St. John's and Stanford last weekend coupled with the loss to Penn State make Notre Dame arguably the second best women's team in the country.
"Between last week and this week, we know where we stand," Auriol said. "Overall though I think it was a good weekend."
Led by the women's sabre squad which improved its record on the year to 9-1 on the season, Notre Dame defeated Air Force 22-7, Duke 20-7, Florida 17-10, Ohio State 16-11 and Cleveland State 21-6.
Individually, several Irish fenced well. Freshman Anna Carnick dropped just two bouts en route to a 12-2 weekend and 20-6 overall. Carnick picked up the only two epee wins against the Nittany Lions.
"Anna Carnick was just outstanding today," DeMaio said. "She dropped a bout to [Penn State All-American] Stephanie Eim but she is always one of the top fencers in the country."
Krol once again led the foil team with a 12-4 record. Krol, however, struggled against the top foil fencers dropping two bouts to Penn State and one to both Ohio State and Cleveland State.
Krol chalked up hers and the team's overall struggles to the extra pressure of fencing at home.
"I think one big part of it might be pressure to perform at home," she said. "It's almost like we are expected to win. No one wants to disappoint the coaches or have a black mark on the record."
The women's sabre squad blanked both Cleveland State and Duke. Freshman Natalia Mazur led the team with a 15-1 record while captain Carianne McCullough picked up 11 wins.
All Sports Stories for Tuesday, February 1, 2000
