Leading up the Towson University women's tennis program's Alumnae Day celebrations on April 29, the Tigers are checking in with past members of the program. In the first alumnae feature, the Tigers sat down with Stephanie Knouse '99 and Terry Matthews McGonigle '95.
 
Stephanie Knouse graduated from Towson in 1999 with a degree in Spanish. A four-year member of the Towson women's tennis team, she served as a co-captain during her junior and senior years. An impressive student-athlete, Knouse was selected as an America East Scholar-Athlete three-straight years. She posted a singles career record of 73-15 (.829), which still ranks first on the program's singles career winning percentage list. She also holds the second-best single-season singles record, going 24-2 during her senior year.
 
Knouse said that she knew she wanted to play for Towson the moment she visited the school. She attended a match during her senior year and was impressed with the caliber of tennis.
 
An impressive singles player, Knouse played at the No. 5 spot during her freshman year before moving up to No. 2 singles for her final three years. She played the third doubles flight with teammate Lauren Sheedy as a freshman and then partnered with Terry Dumansky for her sophomore through senior years at the No. 2 spot.
 
Towson competed in the America East during her playing career and Knouse recalls looking forward to facing Delaware and Boston University each year. Her favorite memories of Towson included traveling to Burlington, Vermont each fall for the conference championships.
 
While Knouse has not played competitively since graduating from Towson, she coached high school tennis during the early 2000s while teaching Spanish. She also taught at various clubs during the summers and looks forward to teaching the sport to her children.

Knouse said that playing tennis at Towson taught her lessons that helped her after graduation.
 
"It's affected how I see the world. Play fair. Don't worry about small matters, it's the big moments that count. Be humble, focus, and get the job done. You cannot expect to win on game day if you don't practice." I think these lessons have guided me well (when I remember them!). 
 
 
Terry Matthews McGonigle graduated from Towson in 1995 with a degree in elementary education. A four-year member of the Towson women's tennis team, she also served as the team's manager for the 1995-96 season.
 
She posted a singles career record of 65-30 (.684), which ranks sixth on the program's singles career winning percentage list. McGonigle played at the third singles flight as freshman before moving up to second singles as a sophomore and junior. She was the top singles player during her senior year at Towson.
 
McGonigle recorded a doubles record of 18-9 with teammate Jennifer (Frank) Valillo during her senior year. That single-season doubles record ranks second on the program's all-time list.
 
McGonigle decided to go to Towson after visiting a friend who was a member of the football team. During her visit, she met the tennis team and knew it was the perfect fit.
 
She remembers some of the toughest opponents she faced were at a tournament the Tigers played in North Carolina.
 
"I can't remember the names of the teams but one of my opponents let me know that she was Monica Seles' hitting partner. I knew it was going to be a quick match!"
 
McGonigle's fondest memories of playing at Towson are of her former coach, Ken Volk, along with the life-long friendships of her teammates.  
 
McGonigle said that playing tennis at Towson prepared her for so many things in life.
 
"It made me mentally tough for sure! It helped prepare me to help my own three children with all of their sports."
 
The sport left a mark on McGonigle who played competitively until seven years ago. Now she plays casually and enjoys hitting with her 12-year old son.