Dalton State men's tennis coach Zack Rogers has been hired to coach the men's and women's teams at Coastal Georgia, a rival Southern States Athletic Conference in Brunswick. His new job is effective Sept. 1. Rogers has a 45-18 record for the first three years of the Roadrunners program, and they went to the NAIA tournament both years they were eligible. They were ranked fourth at the end of the 2016 spring semester, when Coastal Georgia's men were ranked eighth. The Mariners women have been nationally ranked as well. "It is hard to put into words how appreciative I am of the opportunity I was given to be a part of the tennis program at Dalton State," Rogers said in a DSC release. " It has been an honor and a pleasure to be able to serve my hometown community and to be a part of the rebirth of athletics at Dalton State. It was an extremely difficult decision to make, but I am excited about the possibilities and challenges presented by my position as the men's and women's head coach at the College of Coastal Georgia." Said Jon Jaudon, DSC's interim athletic director: "I could not be happier for the opportunity that Zack has earned at Coastal Georgia. The chance he has been given to direct both programs at Coastal is too good to pass up."
* University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men's tennis coach Carlos Garcia released his team's fall schedule Monday, and it includes three road tournaments plus UTC's own men's and women's Steve Baras Fall Classic. That one is Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 at the Champions Club. The Mocs will play Sept. 23-25 at the Dale Short Shootout in Murfreesboro, Oct. 20-23 in the ITA Ohio Valley Regional in Knoxville and Oct. 28-30 in the Georgia Southern Fall Invitational in Statesboro. "We are ready to get going," Garcia said in the release. "We have some strong talent returning, along with some outstanding newcomers. I am ready to see what they can do against a challenging schedule."
* The Chattanooga Tennis Association has put out a call for volunteers to help this weekend with the USTA state mixed doubles tournament at the Champions Club and Baylor School. There will be a players party Thursday night as well. Anyone interested can email Coleen Davis at coleendavis@epbfi.com.
Softball
* Rahanna (RJ) Janke, the Coahulla Creek High School freshman who already has committed to play softball for UTC, was invited to the USA Elite Select 30 fastpitch camp this past weekend in Tuscaloosa, Ala., and played three infield positions and went 1-for-3 with a walk in the Class of 2020 All-American game Sunday. The ProStar Fastpitch club player was chosen to the nation's final 30 in the 2020 class from almost 100 players in attendance through a series of measurements, skill work and scrimmage-type games.
Volleyball
* The Georgia Northwestern Technical College volleyball team begins its 2016 season at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at the Rossville Athletic Center with an entirely new roster, but there are nine players this year and coach Carrie Powell had only six - the bare minimum - last season. Powell said in a GNTC release Monday that having all "some of these girls have played together before in club ball (and all) have really come out here and bonded really well." East Paulding's Sierra Crew brings leaping ability and power to the Lady Bobcats' front row. Two of Crew's West Georgia Volleyball Club teammates, Kaitlyn Castle and Demi Hatfield, are defensive specialists from Hearts Academy in Douglasvile, and the area contingent of Madalyn Morrison from Calhoun High, Misty Hunter and Michaela Suttles from LaFayette (Suttles by way of Georgia Highlands College), Kaylin Graham and Serena Turner from Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe and Shelby Thompson from Gordon Lee add a variety of skills. Before GNTC hosts Vance Granville CC in the annual Pink Game on Saturday, Cleveland Christian, Rhea County Academy and Dogwood Christian will play high school matches starting at 11:30 a.m.