Even with its captain hurting, the Arizona women’s tennis team will play together as a team for the first time this fall at the Harvard Invitational in Boston today through Sunday, which features host Harvard (last year’s No. 15 team), (last year’s No. 25) Virginia, and Rice.

Six members will represent Arizona, including No. 29 Danielle Steinberg, the squad’s captain who will be competing with an ankle injury she suffered two weeks ago at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association West Regional.

“”I just started playing again this Monday – just a little bit – and then we decided to see how it is,”” Steinberg said.

The sophomore said the ankle increasingly improved as the week progressed.

UA assistant coach Brian Ramirez, who is traveling with the team as head coach Vicky Maes stays behind, said Steinberg should not do any damage to her ankle if she plays, but it could be painful.

“”How effective she’ll be – I don’t know – with what kind of injury she has,”” Ramirez said.

Some of her teammates have different feelings about her early return to competition, like junior Camelia Todorova, who will be competing this weekend as well.

“”I am concerned about Dani(elle) playing because she hasn’t fully recovered,”” Todorova said, “”but she is a tough girl, and hopefully she will be fine and get some important wins for us.””

But Steinberg is not focusing on her injury; instead she is more concerned with the team’s performance this weekend, as this will be the first tournament this season in which the players will not compete for an individual score.

“”It’s the first time we’re going to play … dual matches, so that’s pretty exciting to see how our team performs as a team and not as individuals,”” she said. “”Plus it’s always more fun to play a team meet than individuals.””

Todorova, who reached the doubles semifinals of the regional with senior partner Kasia Jakowlew, said she is also anxious to see what the team is capable of.

Junior Juliette Mavroleon, sophomore Tina Razloznik, and freshman Natalia Toporowska round out the six Wildcats competing in the tournament.

Ramirez said the event, one Arizona has never attended, was a spontaneous decision for the coaches, giving the team the opportunity to get even more on-court experience.

“”I want to see them really begin to take better advantage of the opportunities that they’ve been given,”” he said. “”I think they’ve done a great job this fall…getting themselves a lot of opportunities to win matches or to really make life tough for their opponents.””