GREENSBORO, March 30, 2009 – North Carolina A&T women’s tennis team is a little uncomfortable at this point in the season. Interim head coach James Dunwoody hopes all that changes by April 16.

That is when the Aggies compete in the MEAC Tournament in Raleigh for the first time in two seasons. The Aggies discomfort stems not from the adjustment of changing head coaches in mid-season. In fact, the Aggies are 5-12 overall, but they are 4-6 under Dunwoody.

The discomfort is solely due to the way the new head coach wants his Aggies to play. On Saturday, the Aggies lost to Liberty 7-0 at the Piedmont Indoor Tennis Center. Dunwoody moved the match indoors because of the pending rain forecasted for Saturday. For Dunwoody, the loss was not as much a concern as much as making sure the Aggies got the opportunity to play in what has been a rainy spring.

He wants them to compete and practice as many times as possible before they travel to Raleigh. In Dunwoody’s mind, the Aggies have as good a chance as anyone to win the tournament.

“Our skill set is every bit as good as anyone else’s,’’ said Dunwoody. “Our problem is we’re missing the easy balls. We’re missing what we call the intermediate balls and the balls on volleys. We have a very athletic team. With the kind of exceptional athletes we have on this team, we need to be a groundstrokes team.”

A groundstrokes player typically plays shots from the back of the tennis court or the baseline with either a forehand or backhand. The player’s effectiveness comes from being able to allow the ball hit the ground once before returning a powerful shot off of the bounce over the net, making it difficult for the opponent to return the ball.

Dunwoody wants his team to be a 60 percent groundstrokes team and a 40 percent volley team or a team that plays around the net.

“We’re going to have to come forward and play aggressively if we want to beat the Bethune-Cookman’s and S.C. State’s,’’ he said. “We’re working on it in practice every day. I know there is going to come a point when the young ladies completely buy into what I’m telling them. At that point, we’re going to be a very good tennis team.”

Dunwoody has a strong core of players that includes junior Jaymee Jones, sophomore Winnie Quick and freshman Shondra Redfern. But it is young talent playing in the No. 4, 5 and 6 singles positions that has Dunwoody excited about the program.

“I think the key to the program going forward are my new people,’’ said Dunwoody. “Nina Henry, Azeib Nigatu and Danielle McCaskill are really buying into what we’re doing. Once they really get to rolling, we’re going to beat some people.”

The Aggies have three more matches remaining before the tournament. Two of those matches are at home against East Carolina (April 10) and Florida A&M (April 12).  They close out the season at N.C. Central on April 13.

Dunwoody hopes his team is comfortable enough by then to take home a championship.