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Christy Striplin didn’t expect to become a coach. She was a marketing major at Georgia Tech and thought she may pursue a career in sports marketing.

But Striplin’s husband, Michael Lynch, is a head coach for the Atlanta United FC Academy, and encouraged her to stay in tennis and pass along her knowledge to the next generation of players.

After a year on the pro tour, Striplin - now Christy Lynch - began giving lessons full time in the Atlanta area. She reached out to Rodney Harmon once he was named the head coach at Georgia Tech in 2012 and offered to be a volunteer assistant to see how she liked coaching in college.

Lynch, 30, spent the next season on the staff at nearby Emory University, helping the Eagles set a school record for wins and capture the NCAA Division III national title.

Once a paid assistant coaching role opened at Georgia Tech in 2014, Lynch returned to The Flats and hasn’t left.

“I felt like that was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up,” said Lynch, who played at Georgia Tech from 2005-09 and helped the program win four ACC titles, two National Indoor titles and an NCAA Championship. “It was my alma mater and I had volunteered there as well, so it just felt like the right move. I wanted to come back and help build the program back up again.”