Although the Ivy title is out of reach for the women's tennis team, Harvard used this past weekend as a tune-up for the NCAA tournament.

The Crimson returned to the friendly confines of the Murr Center on Friday and cruised to an 8-1 victory against Brown. On Saturday, Harvard (11-10, 5-1 Ivy) traveled to Yale where it handily defeated the Bulldogs 7-2.

Harvard 7, Yale 2

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Though spring showers forced the match from the Beren Tennis Center, the team's brand-new outdoor facility, the Crimson seemed comfortable on its sort-of-new indoor hardcourts.

Yale's improved team nearly defeated Princeton and posed a more serious threat to Harvard than Brown, setting the scene for an exciting afternoon match. The anticipated battle against the rival Elis turned out to be anticlimactic, as the Crimson rolled to a 7-2 victory.

The top three seeds paced the Crimson, opening up a quick lead over a tough Yale line-up. In the top slot, freshman Sanja Bajin took a two-set victory, while captain Vedica Jain and junior Sanaz Ghazal scrapped out a pair of close three-set victories.

Freshman Lara Naqushbandi's woes continued, as she was unable to find her rhythm, losing in straight sets. Sophomore Fleur Broughton, unable to rally on Saturday, also dropped her match in straight sets, sending Harvard into the double portion with a 4-2 lead.

With a gritty team effort, the Crimson swept the doubles matches and clinched a 7-2 victory. The win put Harvard over .500 for the season and boosted its conference record to 5-1.