COLLEGE PARK, MD -- Maryland tennis head coach Katie Dougherty has signed a contract extension through June 2030, as announced by Jim Smith, Barry P. Gossett Director of Athletics.

Dougherty has led the Maryland tennis program to its most successful four-year span in program history, winning 66 matches over the last four years. She will enter her seventh season as head coach of the Terps in 2025-26, and 10th overall with the program since joining Maryland prior to the 2016-17 season. 

"Katie has guided Maryland tennis to an unprecedented level of success, and we're excited to solidify her leadership for the future," said Smith. "Over the past four years, she's delivered historic results while building a culture rooted in hard work, belief, and sustained excellence. The trajectory of this program has never been brighter, and we're proud to have Katie leading the way forward."

"I'm incredibly grateful for the opportunity to continue leading this program and thankful to Jim Smith, Libby Ellis, and our administration for their belief in what we're building," said Dougherty. "Our recent success has been special, and I'm so proud of our student-athletes and staff for the work they've put us in the top half of the new Big Ten and consistently rising in the ITA rankings. We're building this program step by step, and the future of Maryland tennis is full of promise. I'm grateful to the athletes who have believed in our vision and bought in and helped us make these jumps. I grew up in Maryland, and being the Head Coach here is and continues to be a dream come true. I couldn't be more excited about where the program is headed."



In Dougherty's six years at the helm of the Terps, she has a 77-59 record for a 56.6 win percentage, including a 66-38 mark over the last four seasons with a 63.5 win percentage. In each of her six years, the Terps have been awarded the ITA All-Academic Team Award. During Dougherty's tenure as head coach, Maryland has had six All-Big Ten selections, the 2020 Big Ten Freshman of the Year and an NCAA Singles qualifier. 

Maryland continued its streak of success in 2025, finishing 15-12 overall and 7-6 in conference play. The Terps boasted another great record at home, going 9-3, picking up key ranked wins against No. 46 Penn State and No. 28 Iowa. The win over Iowa was the Terrapins' highest-ranked win since 2013. The Dougherty-led Terrapins had a strong showing at the Big Ten Tournament, defeating Iowa and pushing the top-seeded Michigan to the last point in the quarterfinals.  

Senior Kallista Liu was named the ITA National Most Improved Player following the 2025 season. Liu had a terrific senior year, notching 21 wins in singles and 16 in doubles. Liu was also named First Team All-Big Ten in 2025. The Terrapins continued to succeed under Dougherty's leadership in the 2024 season, finishing with a 16-10 record overall. The Terps had a stellar 12-1 record at home, picking up five wins over top-75 ranked opponents, including the program's first win over a top-30 ranked opponent since 2013. Maryland finished in the top 50 of ITA's rankings for the first time since 2011 and improved to No. 2 in ITA's Atlantic Regional Rankings. In the Fall of 2023, Selma Cadar won the ITA Atlantic Regional Singles Championship. 

The 2023 season saw a continuation of Maryland's upward trajectory, as the Terps finished with a 17-9 record. Additionally, Dougherty's squad jumped a spot in the ITA Atlantic Region team rankings to become the area's No. 3 unit.  Dougherty was named the 2023 ITA Atlantic Coach of the Year.

With 35 wins combined between 2022 and 2023, Dougherty's teams set the program record for the most wins in a two-year stretch.

In 2022, she led the Terps to their best season start in more than 30 years, as Maryland finished with an 18-7 record. Led by unanimous All-Big Ten honoree Selma Cadar, the Terps finished No. 4 in the ITA Atlantic Region team rankings.

Dougherty previously served as associate head coach of the program for three seasons before the promotion to head coach in 2019. She served as head coach at Iowa from 2009-16 and was an assistant coach at fellow Big Ten schools Penn State and Wisconsin before that.