UNC Asheville announced on July 3 the hiring of Lise Gregory as the new coach for its menís and womenís tennis teams.

As a result, she will become the second female coach in UNCA history to coach a male sport.

Gregoryís hiring also makes her the only active female head coach of a menís team from the three NCAA Division 1 schools in Western North Carolina.

Valorie Lemoignan, who coached menís track and field from 1989 to 1992 for UNCA, was the only other woman to coach a menís team in school history.

Gregory, 43, a native of Durban, South Africa, noted that there is a big difference in coaching men and women, but felt it will be no harder for her than it is for men who coach womenís teams.

Gregory, who worked with the UNCA womenís tennis team during the 2004-05 season, spent eight years coaching the Florida State womenís tennis team. Her FSU tenure ended with seven trips to the NCAA tournament and she became the programís coach with the most wins (119-83).

She forecast a slow rebuilding process, but predicted the team could be ìvery good.î

In a related announcement UNCA athletic director Janet Cone expressed hope that ground will be broken on a new on-campus tennis complex as early as next spring.