PHILADELPHIA, PA – The Johns Hopkins women's fencing team faced three top-15 teams on the first day of the Philadelphia Invitational Friday evening. Junior Czarina Alfonso and freshman Josephine Chang led the Blue Jays with four wins each.
 
Hopkins opened the day against host and 11^th-ranked Temple with the Owls winning 21-6. Chang and juniors Sanya Bawa and Jenny Song won one bout each in a 6-3 loss in the Sabre. Alfonso led the Foil squad with a pair of wins in a 7-2 loss. And in an 8-1 loss in the Epee, sophomore Ameera Ebrahim earned JHU's win.
 
JHU then dropped a 23-4 decision to top-ranked Princeton. In the Sabre, Chang and freshman Adelaide Benoit each earned one win for the Blue Jays. Alfonso grabbed one win for JHU in the Foil in an 8-1 loss. The Tigers' Epee squad beat the Blue Jays, 9-0.
 
Hopkins closed out the day with a 16-11 loss to 14^th-ranked North Carolina. Chang won a pair of bouts and Benoit earned one win in a 6-3 loss. The Foil squad grabbed a 5-4 win over the Tar Heels, led by freshmen Bethany Lee and Rosy Cepero, who combined for four wins. In a 6-3 loss in the Epee, Ebrahim, junior Diya Kulkarni and senior Rachel Zhang each won one bout.
 
Hopkins returns to action on Saturday morning with day two of the Philadelphia Invitational.