TOWSON, Md. – The Towson University women’s tennis team will open its 2012-13 season by hosting the 2012 Tiger Classic, beginning Friday at 2 p.m. at the Towson Center Tennis Courts. Delaware, Howard, George Washington, St. Joseph’s and Mount St. Mary’s will all take part in the tournament.

“I like that we get to host this tournament early in the season because you get to see where our girls are physically,” Towson head coach Doug Neagle said. “Hosting a tournament at home is always nice.”

Aandria Carr, the team’s No.1 singles player from a year ago has graduated, so the opportunity exists for some individuals to move up in the lineup. If Neagle knows who his top performers will be and what his lineup will look like, he isn’t tipping his hand.

“It’s yet to be seen who takes over her spot,” Neagle said. “A lot of the girls want that spot and it’s a good problem to have. No one is afraid of it and we have a lot of depth.”

A plethora of returners, including sophomores Ayana Dow and Cailey Easdale, juniors Nisha Shah, Nani Lizana, Ariel Burke, Ioana Aprodu, Jessi Grim and Amanda Ocker and senior captain Andrea Samlin provide balance and all figure prominently into Neagle’s plans. Newcomers Moriah Burke, Sammi Grim and Lorena Ferrer round out the roster and provide additional depth.

Most notably, the junior Shah returns after posting back-to-back 20 win seasons in singles play in her first two seasons on the team. As a sophomore, Shah posted a team-high 20 singles victories last season.

Dow and Easdale made instant impacts as freshmen last season, combining for a record of 23-15 in singles and should assume larger roles this season with more experience.

“We want to be better and we know we can be improved over last year,” Neagle said after his team finished 12-13 overall last season. “We think we should’ve had a lot more wins. We’ve been really emphasizing fitness and movement.”

 The two-day tournament will conclude Saturday with three rounds beginning at 10 a.m.