TOWSON, Md. - The Towson women's tennis team will open its dual meet schedule Thursday when they take on Mount St. Mary's at 3 p.m. in Emmitsburg, Md.

The Tigers have competed in two tournaments thus far to begin the year, but have not had any team scoring matchups. Towson head coach Doug Neagle is excited about the opportunity Thursday presents for his team.

"I'm definitely excited to play an actual dual match in the fall," Neagle said. "Many teams don't do this, but I like it because you really see where you are with your lineup and what changes you may have to make with doubles teams as the season progresses."

Towson enters the matchup largely with much of last season's roster intact. Juniors Nisha Shah and Nani Lizana lead the team, while senior Andrea Samlin provides a veteran presence. The team will also count on sophomore Ayana Dow, who finished last season with a 16-11 record in singles matches.

Samlin, who won 15 singles matches last year, is off to a fast start and already has three singles victories. Samlin tallied all three victories last weekend at the Bill and Sandra Moore Invitational at Navy, advancing to the finals of the "C" Flight.