Lady Mocs netters win 6-1 in opener and other sports news

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women's tennis team began its season with a 6-1 win Friday evening against Kennesaw State at the Racquet Club in Hixson. Jenna Nurik with Kaylene Chadwell and Alexa Flynn with Katie Polk won in doubles for UTC, and Nurik, Flynn, Kayla Jones, Kelsey Coots and Claire Mulyadi won in singles. The Lady Mocs host Belmont at the Racquet Club today at 2 p.m.

Basketball

• The Sewanee men's basketball team jumped to a 34-14 halftime lead and held on to give visiting Rhodes its first league loss Friday, 59-56, after the Rhodes women improved to 15-1, 7-0 in the Southern Athletic Association, with a 53-44 win. Catherine Eckert led the female Lynx with 11 points and seven rebounds off the bench. Jamie Chauvin had 15 points and seven rebounds for Sewanee (5-11, 0-7), who got 10 points apiece and 13 rebounds and four steals, respectively, from Kayla Sewell and Paige Lowe. Lewis Affronti and Valentino Bryant scored 15 and 14 points for the male Tigers (9-7, 2-5), overcoming 26 from Rhodes' Andrew Galow. Affronti was 5-for-5 on 3-point shots.

• Led by 19 points from Alex Miller, the Georgia Northwestern men's basketball team finished on top, 69-65, in a roller-coaster ride Friday with Macon State at the Rossville Athletic Complex. GNTC's Bobcats (7-14) led 34-20 at halftime but got hit with a 30-8 Macon State outburst in the first 11 minutes of the second half. The Bobcats used a full-court press to overcome an 11-point deficit in the final five minutes. Hunter Ivester and Tavish Reynolds scored 12 points apiece and Bud Todd added 10 in the win, Todd with five blocked shots, while Steadman Merritt had 24 points in defeat.

• The TCCAA basketball doubleheaders involving Jackson State and Columbia State this weekend at Chattanooga State and Cleveland State were called off because of weather and road conditions in part of the state. Those games have been moved to March 1-2. Also called off Friday night was the Covenant College women's game against Valor Christian at Hiwassee College in Madisonville, Tenn.; Covenant had added that game to sub for Hiwassee's disbanded Lady Tigers.

Softball

• Defending national champion Chattanooga State played its first game for new softball coach Blythe Golden and lost 5-1 to Miami Dade on Friday evening at Clearwater, Fla. Returning all-national-tournament player Lacye Walker doubled and scored on a Courtney Clark single after Emily Dagnan singled for the Lady Tigers, who led until the fifth inning. They play four games today.

• A fundraising pancake breakfast for the UTC softball team is being held this morning from 8 to 10 at the downtown Applebee's restaurant on Market Street. The meal costs $6, paid at the door, and fans are encouraged to meet the players and coaches. Another fan opportunity is the annual open house for the public. That is Thursday at 7 p.m. at the indoor practice facility at Warner Park, where coach Frank Reed's Lady Mocs will go through a workout and sign autographs. Their season starts Feb. 8-10 at Clermont, Fla.

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