-The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women's soccer team begins its 2017 season by hosting Austin Peay tonight at 7 at Finley Stadium. UTC hosts Eastern Kentucky there Sunday at 2 p.m. Admission is free to all Mocs home games. "We're as ready as we can be to this point," coach Gavin McKinney said in a UTC release, adding that the team "learned a lot from our two preseason games. Hopefully we can build off those. We think we've fixed a few things leading into this weekend." The Mocs have eight returners from the side that tied for fifth in the Southern Conference in 2016, including SoCon all-freshman selection Jordan Mueller and team assists leader McKenzie Gregg, a senior. Sophomore goalkeeper Melia Correa is back, competing with transfer Bailey Coppedge and redshirt sophomore Molli Miller.
-Appalachian Athletic Conference favorite Bryan College is No. 11 in the NAIA men's soccer preseason poll released this week, and Dalton State from the Southern States Athletic Conference is seventh in the "others receiving votes" beyond the Top 25. Bryan was No. 17 in the 2016 final rankings.
Golf
-Dr. Neil Spitalny of Chattanooga faces Ed Link of Memphis for the 2017 Tennessee Super Senior Match Play championship this morning at Five Oaks Golf & Country Club in Nashville, and defending champion Bob Rice from Pikeville is among the final four in the Senior Match Play. Spitalny won 4 and 3 over Nashville's Mike Nixon and 7 and 5 over Doug Ryerson of Mount Juliet on Thursday, when Rice won 5 and 4 over Patten Smith of Lookout Mountain and 3 and 2 over Jeff Golliher of Knoxville. Rice takes on Buzz Fly of Memphis in one semifinal; the other matches Danny Green of Jackson against Tim Jackson of Williston. Green won 2 and 1 over Manchester's Ken Lee after Lee won 1 up over Crossville's Eddie Wyatt on Thursday. Nashville's Craig McElhaney needed 19 holes to get past Signal Mountain's Scott Patton before falling 4 and 3 to Fly.
-The Dalton State women's golf team was voted unanimously to repeat as SSAC champion in 2017-18. The Roadrunners were joined in the 2017 NAIA national competition by William Carey and Faulkner, and those two teams were picked to finish second and third in the eight-team SSAC this year. "It is always a honor when your fellow competitors think highly enough of you to pick you as the favorites heading into the season," DSC coach Jim McGrew said in a school release. "We know this is based on what we have done in the past and understand that this is a new year."
Wrestling
-Heritage High School record-setting wrestler Chuckie Thurman signed recently to continue his career with Brewton-Parker College in Mount Vernon, Ga. Thurman, who shared Times Free Press Best of Preps wrestler of the year honors in 2017, won his third consecutive individual state championship to cap a 58-1 senior season. Along the way the 126-pounder set a state and national record with 575 takedowns. "They had been recruiting him for a while and both sides were able to work it out, so he has a full ride," Heritage coach Mike Craft said. "Chuckie is a great talent, and his hard work and persistence paid off. He's really motivated and I think he will do well. Plus, he has the potential to excel and move on to the NCAA level." At Brewton-Parker, an NAIA program that competes in the Mid-South Conference, Thurman will be teammates with freshman Jordan Lewis, who also won a state individual title at Northwest Whitfield.
Volleyball
-UTC tied Samford for third place in the Southern Conference volleyball preseason poll announced Thursday, behind 2016 regular-season champion East Tennessee State and UNC Greensboro, and no Mocs or Samford players made the preseason all-conference team. ETSU got seven of the nine first-place votes and 63 total points, while UNCG had 50, UTC and Samford (two firsts) each 46, Wofford 41 and Furman 32. Mercer, Western Carolina and The Citadel were seventh through ninth. UTC will hold its Blue-Gold intrasquad scrimmage at 3 p.m. Saturday in Maclellan Gym.
-Covenant College's volleyball team was picked to win the West again in the USA South this year. Fifth-year Lady Scots coach Joanna Ehman has 11 returning players, including five starters and the libero, and got seven of the coaches' eight first-place votes for the nine-team West Division. Maryville got the other first and was second, with Piedmont, LaGrange and Huntingdon third through fifth. Averett, 2016 tournament champion Meredith and William Peace were first, second and third in the East voting.
-Sewanee will open Covenant's season on Sept. 1 in the McAttack Bash at Birmingham-Southern, where coach Shawna Laurendine's Tigers also will face Washington & Lee and Maryville in the two-day event. They will play the next weekend at Salem's Maroon Classic and then host Covenant at 6 p.m. CDT on Sept. 13. After opening Southern Athletic Association play at Rhodes and reigning champion Hendrix, Sewanee will host Birmingham-Southern on Sept. 23 at 1 p.m. The season continues through the SAA tournament Nov. 3-5.