Story by Kirstin Olsen and ourtesy FOXSportsWest.com

Over 45 years ago, volleyball legend Kathy Gregory got a tip from a fellow teammate at LA State College - now Cal State LA - while she was playing volleyball, basketball and tennis before UCLA even had women’s teams.

“Stick to volleyball.” Billie Jean King told her. And that she did — but not before telling King to “stick to tennis.”

Good advice taken by two legends, who have forever shaped the way sports are played by women all over the world.

Now, after 38 years as the only coach of the UC Santa Barbara women’s volleyball team, Gregory has announced her retirement.

“I think people thought I was going to die at this job,” said Gregory.

“Its something I have always been thinking about the last couple of years because it's getting harder and harder," she said. "There are so many responsibilities of coaching and I always said to myself that I would go out at the right time and not have anything be a negative.

“I could have retired last year too. But again, it’s always for a recruit that wants you to stay or a parent that wants you to stay. The job is over-encompassing and I achieved so much, you know you want to have your old energy left. It’s just you know when you know."

Read the full story here.