An aroused Harvard fencing team, led by Captain Steve Biddle's epee enjoyed the sweet taste of victory last night by out-classing Brandeis 19-8 at the IAB.

The Crimson remained undefeated, upping their record to 3-0 in what was scheduled to be a dual match also involving Holy Cross. The Crusaders never showed, however, and the decision was finally made to go on without them after an hour delay.

"I think Holy Cross' not showing up only served to help our concentration," said number three epee Bill Marshall. "We weren't expecting much from them anyway, and we wanted to show Brandeis that we were the better team after last year's controversial 14-13 loss."

The turnabout was a "question of concentration," Biddle said, adding, "this year we were better prepared."

Biddle spearheaded the Crimson's epee victory, which Harvard won 7-2. In the foil, which the Crimson clinched 6-3, Dave Hannower and the combative Dave Merner were the standouts.

After sabre-man David Heyman snagged the magic 14th bout, which clinched the victory, coach Ben Zivkovic sent in substitutions. "That was the most meaningful thing," said number two epee Kent Libbey.

"More than winning, it was really nice that everyone got to fence, and still we did so well," Libbey added.

Particularly encouraging for the follsman were the strong performances turned in by the freshmen. Frosh Steve Kaufer's decisive 5-0 victory in the epees, after subbing in for Biddle, was especially impressive.

The Crimson won't fence again until January 31st, an unusually long layoff that doesn't please many team members. "It's tough to stay in shape without practicing," Marshall said.

Nonetheless, Captain Biddle is still optimistic. "I am very pleased with this team. I look for big things from our younger players and I expect that we will continue to do well." That looks like a good bet.