April 28, 2025
The HBCU alum took their talents to coaching positions at the Division 1 schools.
As Minnesota and Indiana’s women’s tennis teams prepped for their 33rd match against one another, their Black coaches did so with history in the making.
The colleges’ respective coaches, Lois Arterberry and Gabrielle Moore, were once teammates at Southern University. The duo even worked to bring two championships to the Louisiana HBCU.
“I was a junior when she came in,” said Arterberry of Moore to MSR. “So we had the opportunity of playing two years together and winning two championships.”
Their HBCU-grown talents led them to coaching positions at the Division 1 schools. On April 11, they faced one another as competitors for the first time. They have also made history by becoming the first Black women to lead each university’s teams.
“It’s a historical moment,” shared Moore on the platform. “Especially not just two teams but two Black coaches that also played together and competed together to be here.”
While the Indiana Hoosiers fell to the Minnesota Gophers in the match, the two coaches have long respected each other’s game and leadership. Arterberry previously brought Moore on as part of her staff while coaching at Jackson State.
The women also understand their role in bringing representation to Division 1 coaching. They are the Big Ten conference’s sole Black women in head coaching positions for women’s tennis. Moreover, they are the only Black coaches at each of their schools, a statistic they do not take lightly.
“It’s very important,” said Moore. “I think it gives other Black coaches a vision of [how]this is where they could be. We’ve worked our way from the ground up to be here.”
Their rise represents the ability of Black coaches at any level. However, their shared experience as teammates and HBCU alumna marks their ongoing support of one another. As Black women in sports leadership, they continue to promote diversity in tennis as they accomplish more historic feats in their careers.
“This match for us was not only important, obviously, within our conference, but I think it was an important match for us as coaches, always rooting for each other,” added Moore. “We knew it was going to be a battle, but I think that the togetherness of seeing Black women leading in this sport is a huge, huge thing for us.”
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