GREENSBORO, January 10, 2007 -- When newly appointed women’s tennis coach Andy Smith took over at North Carolina A&T, he knew he would have to do a lot of exercise. Not so much on the treadmills inside the Aggies Tennis Complex, but his exercise would be in patience.

 The Aggie women start their season Saturday morning at 10 when they face Elon on the road. It will be the Aggies first competition in almost a year because Smith decided against playing a Fall schedule to sharpen his team’s fundamentals and get them accustomed to his style of coaching.

 Even with the break in action, Smith knows it is going to take time before his team is competing at a championship level.                                                                                                                        Christina Ruffin

 “I’m very impressed at how dedicated our young ladies have been,” said Smith. “But right now we don’t have a lot of experience. You can’t wave a magic wand and make the experience come. We are where we are. It’s going to take time, but it starts with hard work, and I think our team is working hard.”

 Smith is in a position where he will have to play some of his players outside their normal comfort zone. Players, who normally play at No. 4 singles, may have to play stiffer competition at No. 3 or No. 2. Or a No. 2 or 3 may have to step up and play the opponents’ best player at No. 1.

 “Our players will have to adjust this season,’’ said Smith. “It is just the way it has to be this year. The thing about tennis is a win at No. 1 singles counts just as much as a win at No. 6 singles.”

 Junior Christina Ruffin (Smithfield, Va.)  will likely step in as the No. 1 singles. Ruffin was 5-4 in the MEAC last season, but all five wins came as the No. 2 singles player. She was 0-3 at No. 1 singles in 2006. One of Smith’s inexperienced players – freshman Jaymee Jones – could also see some action at No. 1 singles, but she will likely be the Aggies No. 2.

 “Jones is a good ball player,’’ Smith said about the Lumberton, N.J., native. “She is a little rough around the edges and has a good pace on her shots. I think she is going to be outstanding player for this program because she already has a lot of tools. She is such a fierce competitor; we have to teach she doesn’t have to hit winners every time.”

 Smith called Ruffin a fierce competitor as well. But he marveled at Ruffin’s ability as a student-athlete. Ruffin is a frequent member on the Dean’s list and earns recognition from the N.C. A&T athletics department for earning a 3.0 or more. “She has a very bright future ahead of her,’’ said Smith. “She really embodies what it means to be a student-athlete.”

 Terika Palmer (Atlanta, Ga.) will move from her normal No. 4 slot to play either at No. 2 or No. 3 singles. Smith said the difference for her will be the speed of the ball coming across the net. Next year, Smith sees her moving back to playing at No.4 or No. 5. Speeding up her racket, will help the junior when she returns to those slots. Palmer was 5-5 in the MEAC last season, four of those wins came at the No. 5 spot.

 Sophomore Porche Martin (Sanford, N.C.), whose last name is synonymous with Aggie tennis, will play a huge role for the Aggies this season. Martin, whose cousins, dad and uncle all played at N.C. A&T, will slide into the No. 4 or No. 5 spots. “Porche is like a sponge,’’ said Smith. “She really learned a lot this fall. We are expecting good things out of her.”

 Sophomores Revorn Ferguson, Morgan Robinson and Destiny Williams will fill in where needed for the first-year Aggies coach. Smith is not sure who he will team together at doubles, which will be a learning experience for him.

 “We have a tough schedule ahead of us,’’ said Smith. “There are a lot of good tennis programs in our conference. The top eight teams in our conference make the tournament, I think if we can be in that top eight that will be a huge accomplishment for our ladies. We can grow from there and hopefully over the next 3-5 years we can make ourselves one of the top three or four programs in the MEAC.”