The start of the fall semester means fresh faces for Guilford College’s tennis team, including the addition of a new coach. Head Coach Dave McCain was elected by Athletic Director Tom Palombo to serve as the men’s and women’s tennis coach. McCain hopes to aid the teams in reaching the nationals and in becoming a strong contender for Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC).

“This is not a team to be on if you’re not passionate about tennis,” said McCain. “Our goal is to be as good as we can be. To look at what the top teams are doing and to strive to be better than that.”

Before transferring to Guilford, McCain spent five years coaching tennis for Greensboro College. He is also a director of tennis for Greenboro’s Tennis Academy and Precision Golf School. McCain has 43 years of experience with coaching and strong history of wins with Greensboro College.

“David’s great,” said senior Nina Bollag, one of two captains for the women’s team. “He’s come in and he’s really working hard to get us to a competitive level.”

“Our new coach is definitely a big change from last year, but I can see that he knows what he’s talking about,” sophomore player Ben Nelson said.

Coach McCain is not the only one transferring from Greensboro. The men’s team’s new captain, Clayton Hamilton, was the number one player on the Greensboro team. In his sophomore year at Greensboro, Hamilton received recognition from the USA South Athletic conference for tennis.

As a junior, Hamilton is the oldest member on the men’s team, which is comprised primarily of freshman and sophomore players. With so many new recruits, the men’s tennis team is getting a fresh start. McCain sees a lot of potential in the men. He predicts the players will grow and improve as the year continues.

“The new players are ones that I recruited,” said McCain. “I knew what I was getting. Two of our best players are both freshmen.”

“We’ve got a new coach, new players, and we’re currently working on recruiting more students,” said Nelson. “All of this is going to help make us a great team.”

Both the coach and the players expect success from the women’s team this year. Captains Nina Bollag and senior Liz Killion have been working hard with the team in preparation for the ODAC Individual Championships, which will take place between Oct. 9 and Oct. 10.

“I think that this year the women’s team is going to be competitive and successful,” said Bollag.

McCain expressed a similar sentiment.

“I think our women’s team is going to much better than last years,” he said. “Our schedule is much tougher than what Guilford has had before. I think the players are very excited and will look at the game differently than they did in the past.”

The men’s team will be competing in the ODAC Individual Championships Sept. 17 through Sept. 18.?

Both men’s and women’s tennis teams have undergone many of changes since the beginning of the 2010-11 academic years, and will continue to do so under the supervision of McCain. ?

“Teamwork is important,” said Bollag. “Every player’s an individual. Everybody brings something different to the table.