Cindy Gregory will begin her seventh season
at the University of Delaware as head coach Bonnie Kenny's top assistant
for the 2008 season.
Gregory, who was promoted to the position
of associated head coach on December 23, 2004, also served as an assistant
under Kenny during her entire tenure at the University of Massachusetts
in 1995-2001.
In her six seasons at Delaware, Gregory has helped the Blue Hens post a record of 106-80 and advance to the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament four times. The Blue Hens advanced to the CAA championship game in 2004 and won the title during the 2007 campaign.
"Cindy and I have worked together for many years," said Kenny in announcing the hiring. "She has tremendous knowledge
of the game and brings a variety of experience to our program here at
Delaware. I've enjoyed carrying on our working relationship and look forward
to taking Delaware volleyball to new heights. She is a tremendous asset."
A native of Houston, TX, Gregory earned 13
letters in basketball, cross country, track and field, and volleyball
and earned high school All-American and All-State honors in volleyball
at Clear Lake High School.
Gregory began her college career at the University
of Houston where she played two seasons and led the Cougars to the 1979
and 1980 national AIAW tournaments. The 1979 squad placed fourth nationally.
She moved on to Southwest Missouri State University
where she played two seasons and led the team to a fifth place finish
at the 1981 AIAW national tournament and to an NCAA Tournament berth in
1982. The squad also captured two Gateway Conference titles during her
career. She earned her degree in physical education with a minor in biology
from Southwest Missouri State in 1983 and earned a master's degree in
exercise physiology from Texas Women's University in 1986.
She began her coaching career as a graduate
assistant at Texas Women's University in Denton, TX in 1984-86 before
moving into a head coaching position at Marymount University in Arlington,
VA in 1987-89.
She served as assistant coach at Smith College
in Northampton, MA in 1989-91 and returned to the head coaching ranks
at Clark University in Worcester, MA for the 1991-92 season. She also
served a two-year stint as head coach at The MacDuffie School in Springfield,
MA in 1990-92 while also serving at Smith and Clark.
Gregory took over as head coach for men's
and women's volleyball at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and led
both teams to national prominence during her tenure in 1992-95. She guided
the men's program to a third place finish at the NCAA Division III Tournament
in 1993.
On the women's side, she led MIT to the ECAC
regional tournament in 1993 and to the New England Women's Eight Conference
title and an NCAA Tournament berth in 1994. She was named the New England
Women's Eight Conference Coach of the Year and New England Women's Volleyball
Association district Coach of the Year in 1993.
While at Massachusetts, she teamed with Kenny
to lead UMass to a seven-year record of 125-93 between 1995-2001. Massachusetts
recorded five winning seasons, including marks of 28-9 in 1996 and 24-15
in 1995. The 1996 team advanced to the National Invitational Volleyball
Championships in Kansas City, MO.
In addition to her coaching duties, Gregory
is active professionally, having published articles in several national
journals. She has also been active with the NCAA YES program and with
Special Olympics and has served on the Women's Sports Foundation Advisory
Board since 1991.
In the fall of 2006, she and Kenny co-authored an instructional book “Volleyball: Steps to Success” published by Human Kinetics Publishers. The 192-page book is part of the popular Steps to Success Sports Series which has sold over 1.5 million copies. The book was designed to help players and coaches master the essentials of the game and offers a comprehensive, progressive approach with a proven system for learning and expert instruction.