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.