The team as a whole showed improvement and became a more cohesive unit.

“We had played a tournament earlier, and compared to that one, this one had a lot more chemistry in the doubles teams and a lot more team spirit throughout the whole tournament,” Li said. “There were some great matches this weekend, and everyone fought really hard.”

The team’s mental approach to the tournament was also a key element to its success.

“Everyone really put in an incredible amount of effort before and after each match,” Jania said. “The match actually begins before you even set foot on the court, and everyone did a great job of really preparing and having the right mentality. I was very impressed with how everyone approached the tournament.”

The tournament as a whole was an important opportunity and experience for the team.

“There were many great teams at the tournament and every match was pretty competitive,” Li said. “Everyone got to play a lot of matches, the facilities were great, and it was a lot of fun.”

In addition, the team, with a little help from technology, was able to stay connected with its two captains despite the distance.

“Our team felt a lot smaller, but we were still a team,” Li said. “Plus, we kept [Norton and Tachibana] updated through text messages.”

RIVIERA/ITA ALL-AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIP

After a solid win over 12th-ranked Lauren Embree and Joanna Mather of Florida, Harvard doubles partners Norton and Tachibana advanced no further, losing to Clemson’s No. 1 Josipa Bek and Keri Wong in the second round, 8-2.

Yet, being the only unranked team going into the tournament, the Crimson tandem still harvested some positives after the loss.

“We went in with a nothing-to-lose mentality,” Norton said. “[After we saw the draw], we thought if we could beat [Embree and Mather], it would be a good sign for us in the Ivy League because we don’t get a chance to play against top-ranked teams that often. It was a good experience.”