What's the best way to check out the opposition?

Stage a tournament and roll out the red carpet for your toughest competitors.

The Harvard women's tennis team hosts the fifth annual Harvard Invitational this weekend at the Beren Tennis Center. The invited guests are Boston College, Illinois, North Carolina, Princeton, Trinity, Virginia and Yale.

"This is a great opportunity to see where we stand as far as our execution goes," Harvard Coach Ed Krass said, "as well as to see where we stand right now with the other teams we have to compete with, including Trinity and the top five teams in the East."

Several Crimson players made a strong showing in the Syracuse Invitational last weekend. Freshman Ericka Elmuts advanced to the finals of her flight and sophomore Kim Cooper teamed with junior Amy de Lone to take the first-flight doubles consolation title. The Cooper de Lone team is seeded third in the first flight this weekend.

Harvard Captain Niki Rival will also be back in the lineup after skipping the Syracuse tournament because of a shoulder ailment. Along with freshman Rachel "Bubba" Pollack she will be playing in the third flight.

"With Niki back in the lineup, it gives us a lot of experience," Krass said, "She's a senior and knows what it takes to win, which is an intangible that can make a huge difference."

Sophomore Jennifer Minkus and Elmuts will play in the second flight in singles and will be the Crimson's other entry in the first-flight doubles competition.

"They can really surprise some people," Krass said. "They're a good balance of power and speed and their intensity level is really high."

Harvard hopes to use the experience as a stepping stone to success in the ITCA Eastern Indoor Team Championships coming up in October at Princeton N.J.

"[The tournament] is really important because our Eastern Indoor is in the fall and we want to prove we're still first in the East," Rival said. "I think a lot of people will count us out because two of our top three players are gone, but the freshmen have integrated and made the transition really well."