W. Tennis Launches Spring Season at the Harvard Invitational

The Harvard women's tennis team began the spring leg of its season this weekend by playing host to Dartmouth, Boston University, Boston College and Brown in the annual Harvard Invitational Tournament.

The tournament has traditionally served as a tune-up to the regular season, which will begin for the Crimson this Friday against Seton Hall.

"It has been a grueling weekend, but there has been a lot of growth," said Harvard Coach Gordon Graham. "This has been a great experience for the players to really push themselves to the brink."

The tournament "team match" format resembled a regular season contest, but last weekend focused on individual performance rather than collective team results. All of the teams took turns playing one another over the three-day event, with Harvard playing two matches a day. The Crimson women were also able to showcase their versatility by playing both singles and doubles during the weekend.

However, many of Harvard's top players were sidelined for various reasons. Returning No. 1 Sanja Bajin was unable to compete due to a recurring hamstring aggravation, co-captain Sanaz Ghazal and junior Jennie Timoney fought flu-like symptoms and junior Sarah McGinty played despite a sore shoulder.

The injuries did provide a silver lining, though, as several Harvard players experienced playing stiffer competition.

"Everyone is playing higher in the lineup," Graham said. "We knew we had depth, but now we also have confidence."

Sophomore Olivia Garica-McKean was particularly impressive, winning all five of her singles matches, and freshman Lola Ajilore won the Iron Woman Award by playing in all six rounds and competing in 11 of 12 possible matches.

"Lola's growth curve is going up and she had a breakthrough this weekend," Graham said. "She slams the ball harder than anyone [and] has tons of talent, but she just has to learn how to play with more patience."

The team's other freshman, Sara Barnett, played her first competitive tennis in nearly two years. Barnett, who was a high school All-State basketball player from Maryland, suffered two ACL injuries which have severely limited her ability to return to the court.

"Although I have been recovering from ACL surgery for well over a year, the team has been really supportive. The adjustment was easy," Barnett said.

Barnett and Ajilore comprise one of the smallest freshman classes in years, and their impact will in large part rely upon the health of the other Harvard players. This year's squad, with the exception of the freshmen and the graduation of Vedica Jain '00, is essentially last year's team. However, as Coach Graham pointed out, it is a team with an increased potential for success.

"Teams will think of us as the same team from last year, but the players have improved dramatically with their work over the summer and fall. I really like the position we're in," Graham said.

Of the teams which Harvard will attempt to surprise with its newfound depth and confidence, Princeton, Penn and Brown stand as the predominant roadblocks to an Ivy League title.

"It is too early to worry about [the Ivy League title] right now, but I think it's anybody's Ivy League to take this year," Graham said.

In the coming weeks, Harvard will once again square off against the four teams it faced over the weekend. Despite the adequate competition, Harvard should have little trouble with these opponents again once the Crimson returns to full health.

"I have no doubt in my mind that we are the strongest team in this tournament if all of our players are healthy," Graham said.

The Crimson will return to action this week with matches against Seton Hall and Penn State.