Around the Region: Tennessee co-coach Karen Weekly new NFCA president

Assorted Sports Equipment on Black
Assorted Sports Equipment on Black

Former University of Tennessee at Chattanooga softball coach Karen Weekly, who's now in her 16th season as co-head coach at Tennessee with her husband, Ralph, will begin a three-year term as president of the National Fastpitch Coaches' Association on Jan. 1. Under the Weeklys the Volunters have been to the NCAA tournament 14 times and to the Women's College World Series seven times, with five top-three finishes. Karen Weekly has 977 wins as a college coach, including 754 at Tennessee. A lawyer by training, she got her coaching start by helping Ralph at UTC and then took over for him while he was with the United States national team.

Soccer

- Bryan College split an Appalachian Athletic Conference soccer doubleheader Wednesday against Montreat in Dayton, the Lady Lions winning 4-0 but the previously undefeated and nationally 10th-ranked Lions losing 4-3 in overtime. Ruth Rosales netted two goals in the first 14 minutes for the Bryan women (9-8, 5-4), while Hana Mizoguchi had three assists and then a goal. Aubri Hughes also scored, and Lesleigh Blackburn, Kalina Hyde and Rosales were part of double assists with Mizoguchi. Rafael Mentzingen had two goals and an assist, and Brad Spooner had a goal and two assists for the Bryan men (13-1-3, 6-1-1).

- Tennessee Wesleyan's men, ranked 22nd in the NAIA soccer poll, fell to 10-2-4, 6-1-1 in the AAC, with a 4-0 loss Wednesday at ninth-ranked Union College in Kentucky, and the Union women won 1-0 over TWU (10-5-1, 5-3-1). Jake Turnbull had a goal and two assists for the Union men (15-2-1, 8-0-1).

- Covenant College is the sixth seed in the USA South men's soccer tournament, and the Scots (5-5 in league play) open play Saturday at 3 p.m.. at third-seeded Greensboro College (8-2). Maryville and North Carolina Wesleyan are the top two seeds with 9-1 USAS records. In the women's tournament, Piedmont beat Huntingdon 4-0 on Wednesday and plays Saturday at 3 in a quarterfinal at West No. 2 seed Covenant.

Volleyball

- Covenant's volleyball team won the USA South's West Division regular-season outright championship with a 3-0 home win Wednesday against Agnes Scott. The set scores were 25-17, 25-18, 25-15. Ginny Moore had 10 kills and Jessica Seehorn had eight for the Lady Scots (17-12, 11-3), while setter Schuyler Moore had 31 assists and three aces to go with six aces for Emily Moore and five for Seehorn. Hannah Stewart had 17 digs.

Basketball

- Jamesha Mosley, who played basketball for Cleveland State Community College from 2013 to 2015, is a senior now at NCAA Division II member Kentucky State and on the preseason all-conference team. Mosley, who's from Hopkinsville, Ky., averaged 11 points, four rebounds and 1.5 steals a game for the 24-5 Lady Thorobreds last year after averaging 16.1 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.8 steals for Cleveland State. This year's Lady Cougars and Cougars will begin their seasons Nov. 1 at home against Snead State.

- After opening its season Tuesday night with a 65-60 win at Oakwood University in Huntsville, Ala., the Bryan College men's basketball team will play at home Friday night in a doubleheader with the Lady Lions against Webber International, beginning with the women's game at 5:30. The Bryan women went 26-5 last year and 17-3 in the AAC, and senior Megan Billingsby and sophomore Amber Levi are returning first-team all-conference players for coach Jason Smith. Billingsby averaged 14.4 points and 7.5 rebounds a game, and Levi (from Rhea County High School) contributed 11.83 points a game and shot 36.4 percent from 3-point range. Sophomore Kaylee Smith from Dunlap is another returning starter and shot nearly 40 percent on 3s in 2015-16. The Lady Lions were picked to finish second behind Milligan in the AAC this season, with Tennessee Wesleyan third after winning the 2016 AAC tournament.

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