TOWSON, Md.- The Towson University women's tennis team opened the 2026 spring season with a hard-fought 4-3 loss to Johns Hopkins Sunday night at the Coppermine Bare Hills indoor facility in a match that lasted nearly three and a half hours. The Blue Jays are ranked No. 7 in the Division III polls and earned a trip to the national semifinals last season.

Hopkins earned the doubles point with victories on courts one and two. At No. 3, Towson's team of Gaia Montecchi and Ashira Murray won its match, 6-1. At No. 2, sophomores Tamzin Pountney and Aubrey Carper led 4-2, but were unable to close the set.
 
The teams split the six singles matches. Montecchi won in straight sets at No. 2, while Murray battled back to win in a super breaker at No. 5. Chandrè Boshoff also had a straight set victory on court 3.
 
Jamie Peterson's squad played without Sania Suchinsky, who was out with an illness. The senior finished the 2024-25 season on a six-match winning streak.

"We had a great opportunity to beat a very solid Hopkins team," Peterson said. "The doubles result was disappointing but the team competed hard overall."
 
Doubles Results (Hopkins earned the point): 
No. 1 –Sydney Langer/Lia Melvin (JHU) def. Kiersten Tambe/Chandrè Boshoff (TOW), 6-3
No. 2 – Sophia Kim/Kamila Wong/Ava Li (JHU) def. Aubrey Carper/ Tamzin Pountney (TOW), 6-4
No. 3 – Gaia Montecchi/Ashira Murray (TOW) def. Sahana Madala/Aubrey Zhou (JHU), 6-1
 
Singles Results: 
No. 1 – Melvin (JHU) def. Tambe (TOW) 7-5, 6-3
No. 2 – Montecchi (TOW) def. Kim (JHU) 6-3, 7-6 (3)
No. 3 – Boshoff (TOW) def. Shana Sanjeev (JHU) 6-3, 6-4
No. 4 – Claire Loftus (JHU) def. Pountney (TOW) 6-3, 6-2
No. 5 – Murray (TOW) def. Karah Li (JHU) def. 1-6, 6-2, 10-8
No. 6 – Isabel He (JHU) def. Carper (TOW) 6-3, 6-1
 
Next Match: 
Towson will play three matches next week, beginning with a visit to Virginia to take on Mary Washington Wednesday afternoon.