TOWSON, Md. – The Towson University tennis team will take on Hofstra in the first round of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Tournament on Thursday, April 22 at 11 a.m. at the  Millie West Tennis Facility in Williamsburg, Virginia.
 
Towson (6-13) and Hofstra (1-5) were scheduled to play March 26, but the match was postponed because the Pride had only four healthy players. The winner will play top-seeded James Madison on Friday, April 23 at noon.

"We lost three matches by scores of 4-3 and had several winnable matches canceled. You turn those around and we would have had a good season," said Towson head coach Jamie Peterson. "But, the fact is we lost a lot of close matches and close sets that really counted."

Team scoring consists of three doubles matches played for one point, with six singles matches played for one point each. The first team to win four points overall wins the match.  The matches will be played "clinch/clinch" – when the team doubles point is won, the remaining doubles match will be stopped. In singles, once the team match has been won, any remaining singles matches will be stopped.

"We have nothing to lose," Peterson said. "If we win Thursday and catch JMU on an off-day, it is a possibility. This is the post season and a fresh start for everyone. Here's hoping we play loose, play strong and have a good performance."

Towson's top doubles duo of Themis Haliou and Alexa Martinez won eight-of-11 matches during one stretch. Peterson tried eight different combinations at the No. 2 and No. 3 spots in the lineup before settling on teams featuring the pairings of Sarah Pospischill and Jessica Assenmacher as well as Amelia Lawson and Lea Kosanovic.

"Playing this format puts more of an emphasis on doubles," Peterson added. "Doubles has been a disappointment this season. Alexa and Themis have given us an opportunity to get that doubles point all season, but the other two teams did not step up. I am comfortable with who we have playing on those teams now."

Peterson has used Haliou, Martinez and Lawson in the top three singles spots all season. Martinez was 3-2 at No. 1. The senior has played 119 combined matches at Towson and has the distinction of winning matches at all six singles and all three doubles spots in the lineup.  At No. 2, Haliou went 5-0, winning 60-of-67 games. Lawson won six straight matches at No. 3 from March 20 to April 13.

"They stood out the entire year with their level of play," Peterson said. "Each has played well at times, but what we needed to happen a little more was them to play well at the same time."

Pospischill will play No. 4 singles. The sophomore led the team in singles victories with 10, including a 7-3 record at No. 4. She had a six-match winning streak from March 27 through April 15.

"You know what you are going to get from Sarah," Peterson stated. "When she steps out on the court, she will give everything to put us into a position to win."

Assenmacher and Lauryn Jacobs will be in the No. 5 and No. 6 spots. Assenmacher went 3-2 last week, while Jacobs won a pair of matches in the sixth spot during the same period.

"Jess has really improved her play towards the end of the season," Peterson said. "She is feeling more confident about her game and playing better on the big points."
 
Towson was missing three players expected to be in the rotation. Phoebe Collins, who won 13 singles matches and teamed up with Haliou for an 8-2 record at No. 2 doubles in 2019, decided to stay in London after the pandemic. Promising freshman Antonia Lawson, Amelia's younger sister, missed the entire season with an injury and was redshirted, while Elessa Jacobs did not play after the opening weekend of the season.
 
"It hurt us from a depth standpoint," Peterson said. "Phoebe would have been an important cog in the middle of the lineup. We were hoping Antonia would fill Phoebe's role, but it did not materialize. There were a couple missing pieces to the puzzle, but we did the best that we could. We will look to finish strong this week."