Zouein 'sister act' should lead fencing

What do you get when you take one of the top national performers in her sport, and add her equally promising little sister to your team?

You get the Zouein sisters, sophomore Kat and freshman Louisa May, who are poised to lead the women's fencing team this winter, and to perhaps make Tufts fencing history during their tenure here.

"They're a pretty special pair of women," head coach Jason Sachs said of the duo. "They could really be something special nationally."

As a freshman last year, Kat Zouein won the saber division at the New England Fencing Conference Championships. She also finished 14th at the NCAA national tournament in Colorado Springs, Colorado, with what Sachs said was far from her best performance.

"Even on a bad day, she's still one of the top collegiate fencers in the country," Sachs said.

Then-senior Kasara Williams (LA '03) also traveled to NCAA's last year, marking the first time Tufts has sent more than one fencer to nationals.

"For a team like ours to qualify two fencers for NCAA's is pretty much unheard of," Sachs said.

This season, Tufts looks to build upon last year's success. There is a strong likelihood that both Zoueins will qualify for the NCAA tournament, and Sachs said that senior foil captain Christina Zahara, senior epee captain Talia Alexander, and sophomore foiler Julia Shih all have a small chance of qualifying as well.

"This is a really nice team with a lot of potential," Sachs said. "I'm looking forward to a good year."

One downside to this season will be the absence of two key members from last year, who left the team for reasons other than graduation. Junior Zinger Yang, who would have been Tufts' strongest foiler, announced her decision to quit upon returning to campus this fall. Sasha Brodski, who nearly qualified for NCAA's as a freshman last year, transferred to Cornell.

Sachs called Yang and Brodski's departures "a disappointment," and said that the pair "really would have bolstered our program."

Nevertheless, Sachs remains optimistic about his squad's potential this season. Graduations and the Yang and Brodski departures opened positions for up-and-comers, like sophomore Tiffany Tran and others who showed promise last year.

"We have some people who have been working hard and should have some success this season," Sachs said.

This Sunday, Tufts will face St. John's at Boston College. St. John's has one of the strongest programs in the country and will likely have one or two Olympic fencers on their squad, Sachs said. Though Sachs acknowledges that Tufts will likely "get crushed as a team," he thinks the meet will be a good experience, and hopes that his strongest fencers can improve their national rankings with wins this weekend.

"We have individuals who can compete with them, and that's what we hope to do," Sachs said.

He expressed pride in his team's past performances against St. John's and other top fencing schools like Columbia, Yale, NYU, and Harvard, especially in light of Tufts' status as a Division III school, with reduced funding and recruiting.

"When you compare us with schools that have what we have for resources, we do really well," Sachs said.

The team's roster is only 14 women-strong, and Sachs said that new members can still join. There will be a fencing demonstration in Jackson Gym today at 5:30, and all are welcome.

One hallmark of the Tufts fencing team is its willingness to adopt both beginners and experienced competitors. Sachs compared learning to fence with learning a foreign language.

"It takes a little time. You have to be ready to fail, and you have to be stubborn and willing to work hard," he said.

Sachs noted that Williams had never fenced before Tufts, yet finished her collegiate career at the national tournament last spring.

"Anything's possible," Sachs said.