First Match: Friday, Jan. 20, 2012

Where: Piedmont Indoor Tennis Center

Time: 2:30 p.m.

Opponent:  Elon

Season Overview:  James Dunwoody, who is in his seventh season at the helm of the women's tennis program, is expecting to win at least 10 of his 20 matches this season.   His hopes for a .500 or better season, after the team went 1-13 and 0-4 in MEAC play last year, arise from having added depth and talent to this year's team. 

With having eight players on the team, including freshman Kenya Colbert and junior April Burrage, who is returning from injury, Dunwoody explained that there's a new level of competition on the team. More players are competing for six starting spots in the lineup. 

"All I think about is those eight girls.  I'm thinking about what I can do to make sure those young ladies that report to me are getting the best experience they can get," Dunwoody said, adding that while he knows his team is getting a well-rounded academic, social and cultural experience at the University, he wants to make sure that they have experience in winning. 

"That's the experience I want them to have," he stressed. "When I send them out of here and into the world, they can say, 'I went 360 degrees.  I was taught how to be social, how to be disciplined, I was taught how to manage my players, and I know how to win.  So when I get this job, I know how to win.'  If I can get that off the ground, I'll be happy."

The First Six:  The starters to open the season include junior Cayla Cross, senior Azeib Nigatu, sophomore Kimberly Stalling, freshman Kenya Colbert, junior Nianna Henry, and junior April Burrage.  Sophomores Victorea Austin and Kendra Esparza-Harris close out the team for the 2012 season. 

Seeing Double: In doubles competition, Cross and Nigatu, Colbert and Burrage, and Stallings and Henry will take the court. Dunwoody predicted that opponents would have a hard time against Cross and Nigatu. "Cayla and Azeib are hard to beat in doubles because their games are pretty much the same," he said.  "They are both groundstrokers and they both like to contact the ball behind the baseline." 

Crossroads:  Cross is back for her third season with the Aggies.  She had a strong fall, defeating the No. 1 seed in the A Division to advance to the semi-finals at the HBCU National Tennis Championships Tournament in September.  Cross, whose father is a tennis pro, is the most seasoned player on the team, Dunwoody said. Her forehand is the best in the conference, he added. 

"The only thing she lacks on the tennis courts is patience," Dunwoody said. "If she can maintain a certain level of patience, she certainly can be not only the best tennis player on the team, but she has the possibility to make all-conference if she works at it."

The Captain: Team captain Azeib Nigatu, who won seven singles matches in 2010, is entering her fourth year for A&T this spring.  Dunwoody praised her variety of tennis strokes.  "If you just saw her play, you'd say she's the best player," he said.  "She has quality stroke production.  The only thing she's lacking is confidence.  If she has the confidence in her game that I have in her game, she could definitely be a winner."

They Have Class: Dunwoody is one of six coaches who can boast that he has a 4.0 student on his team. April Burrage has a cumulative 4.0 grade point average, and is one of seven student-athletes to claim that status.  Dunwoody says that her intelligence in the classroom is also combined with intelligence on the court, as well as skill with her forehand and serve.

What to Expect from Opponents: The Aggies have a strong non-conference schedule planned, including trips to Davidson, Presbyterian and Gardner-Webb, as well as hosting Shaw, and Eastern Carolina at the Piedmont Indoor Tennis Center.  Dunwoody planned to have a tough schedule early on to help build his team for success in conference games.

"Some of the teams on our schedule are teams to build for the MEAC, sort of like how the basketball team schedules.  You can see that I have done that. I put some really good tennis teams on the front to see how they perform," he explained. 

The Aggies will compete in six conference matches this season, and will take on three Northern Division MEAC teams this season as well. Contests against Savannah State and N.C. Central will count against the Aggies conference record for the first time. The Aggies will be taking on new opponents this spring.  The game against the Eagles will be the team's Senior Night contest on April 9.