In five years, the Cissie Leary Invitational Tournament has risen from relative obscurity to one of the most prominent women's tennis tournaments on the East Coast.
This weekend, some of the premier athletes in all of women's tennis will gather at the Hunter Lott Tennis Courts for what should be the most competitive field in the tournament's history.
The 13-team field includes four top-50 teams: No. 33 Ohio State, No. 35 Old Dominion, No. 42 Penn and No. 49 Penn State.
No. 61 Richmond and No. 68 Yale will also compete in the tourney.
Also critical to the Cissie Leary Invitational's evolution is the quality of individual play. This year, seven of the top 100 athletes in the country -- as ranked in the preseason by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association -- will square off for bragging rights.
"The competition this weekend will definitely be tougher than usual," Penn freshman Michelle Yeh said. "A lot of really strong players from many different schools are coming in, so it's definitely something for us to look forward to."
The premier singles player in the tournament is Old Dominion's Nataly Cahana, currently ranked fourth in the nation. Princeton's Kavitha Krishnamurthy, at No. 33, is the next-highest tourney seed.
Penn, however, features its own ranked athlete -- sophomore captain Sanela Kunovac.
"I hope to play well, be on top of my game and get as far as possible," said Kunovac, who is ranked No. 68. "I'm going for a win, but wherever I fall is fine as long as I give it my best.
"Usually [homefield] gives you an advantage in several ways. All your friends are there and there's more crowd support. I try to be motivated regardless [of where the match is played], but [being at home] gives you an edge and the extra drive to defend the court."
Doubles competition will also be fierce, with three top pairings. Old Dominion's Ana Radeljevic, No. 87 in singles, pairs with Cahana to comprise the No. 28-ranked doubles team. Monica Rincon and Kristy Dascoli combine for Ohio State's No. 33-ranked doubles team.
And Penn's top duo is the No. 46 pairing of junior Raluca Ciulei and sophomore Alice Pirsu.
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