"I would like to see [the younger players] in a higher bracket," Fish said. "I'd rather see them lose early and see better competition so they can learn. It's a chance to see our guys under some pressure."

After that comes the biggest event of the fall for the Crimson, the ECAC Team Championships. The winner of that tourney, along with Miami, receives an invitation to the National Indoor Team Championships in February, a tournament where Harvard can cash in ranking points if it should defeat some top-quality competition.

MEN'S TENNIS

Record: 17-7

EITA: 9-0

Coach: David Fish '72

Captains: Todd Meringoff '96, Josh Hausman '97

Key Returnees: Mitty Arnold '97, Thomas Blake '98, Philip Tseng '98

Key Loss: Andrew Rueb '95

Powerhouse Miami, by way of its Big East affiliation, is technically if not geographically part of the northeast region. While the Hurricanes might have an unfair advantage over their northeastern foes, the Crimson should learn a lot when the two schools meet in April.

"[Admitting them to the Northeast] was a pretty controversial decision last year," Fish said, "but it's great to have a team of that caliber come up."

If Harvard wins that match, then that's gravy. The Crimson needs to learn from its mistakes and be that much better prepared when the NCAA Tournament comes in May.

But for now, conditioning and the ECACs are the keys. Harvard possesses many talented players, and the competition for playing time has already begun.

"We have a number of guys who can make contributions," Fish said. "They are a very encouraging group."