But to make it a three-peat, the Wildcats will have to do something completely foreign to this year’s squad – defeat Notre Dame.
NU (27-4) came out on the short end of the sword both times it fenced the Fighting Irish this year. The Cats fell 14-13 at the NU Duals and 17-10 at the Notre Dame Duals a week later.
This weekend things won’t get any easier for the Cats.
This year’s tournament, which runs Saturday and Sunday, is in South Bend, Ind. – on Notre Dame’s home floor. The Fighting Irish will have the crowd on their side and are eager to dominate Midwest fencing after a two-year layoff.
Notre Dame was once the undisputed champion. But two years ago, NU finally managed to climb up to the level of the Fighting Irish by splitting the conference championship with them. Then the Cats knocked Notre Dame from its throne by winning the conference title outright last year.
“They’re shooting for us,” junior foil captain Kristen Dorf said. “They don’t want to share it with us again and they don’t want us to have it. They want it.”
But this weekend the Cats are prepared to fire back quickly and often.
Instead of saving its top fencers for the end, NU plans to front-load its roster to get an early advantage – both on the scoreboard and in the minds of its opponents.
“If you can get up 3-1 or 4-1, it’s a big psychological edge,” coach Laurie Schiller said.
Adding to the importance of jumping ahead early is the tournament’s format. After a squad reaches five wins, the match ends.
Five is fine with the Cats.
“It makes it a little more cutthroat, and it pushes up the stakes,” senior
