The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women's tennis team began its 2018 season with a 5-2 win Friday against Belmont at Manker Patten. UTC got the doubles point without its No. 1 duo finishing, as Tamir Chalaganidze and Emma Van Hee won 6-3 at No. 3 and Caroline Hall and Sydney Patton prevailed 6-4 at No. 2. Then the Mocs got straight-sets singles wins from No. 1 Delaney Edwards, No. 3 Patton, No. 4 Bogdana Zaporozhets and No. 6 Van Hee. Hall at No. 2 and Chalaganidze at No. 5 lost extended matches.
-The UTC men's tennis team topped Division II visitor Lee University 7-0 at McCallie's indoor center, with Niklas Gerdes/Simon Bustamante and Pablo Llebeili/Luke Plaisted earning the doubles point with 6-2 wins and Gerdes, Bustamante, Llebeili, Plaisted, Jacob Marshall and Cooper Long winning in straight sets in singles. Lee's Boyd Blackburn and Jake Okines won 6-2 at No. 2 doubles.
Basketball
-Joanna Smith set a Covenant College women's record with 23 rebounds in Friday's USA South game at Berea, but the Kentucky school won 68-60 after trailing 33-18 at halftime, thanks to a 34-10 third quarter. Adriana Williams had team highs of 16 points and seven assists with three steals and seven rebounds for Berea (13-2, 6-1), while Smith led the Lady Scots (6-11, 2-6) with 16 points and Taylor Robinson and Kaley Hallmark added 15 and 13.
-Sewanee's women yielded a halftime lead to a runaway win for host Rhodes in a Southern Athletic Association doubleheader Friday. Led by Allie Young with 32 points, 11 rebounds and six blocked shots, the Lynx (11-5, 4-2) won 83-62 with a 23-16 third quarter and a 31-13 final period. Bella Taylor had 29 points with four 3-point baskets and seven steals and Hannah McCormack had 16 points, eight rebounds and three thefts for Sewanee (6-10, 1-5). Rhodes won the men's game 124-104. Adrian Thomas had 27 points and Sean McDonough and Hunter Buescher scored 26 and 22 for Sewanee (8-8, 4-2).
-Dade County senior point guard Gage Henry leads boys' basketball players in Georgia in assists and steals per game, with 9.1 and 5.7, according to MaxPreps' latest statistics. He has 154 assists and 97 steals in 17 games. The second-best averages in the state are 8.9 assists and 4.9 steals. Calhoun's Porter Law is eighth in assists with 6.5 per game.
Softball
-Tickets for the 2018 UTC softball season are on sale at GoMocs.com as well as the ticket office at 266-MOCS. Season tickets cost $50 and include the Chattanooga Challenge and Frost Classic tournaments Feb. 16-18 and Feb. 23-25 at Warner Park, and single-date tickets are $5. UTC students get in free. Besides the two tournaments, coach Frank Reed's Mocs will host nonconference matchups at Jim Frost Stadium against Belmont on March 7, Austin Peay on April 4, Alabama-Birmingham on April 11, Tennessee State on April 18 and Auburn on May 6. The Southern Conference home schedule begins with three games against Mercer on March 24-25 and also includes reigning regular-season champion Furman on April 14-15 and 2017 league tournament champion East Tennessee State on April 28-29. Fans can meet the UTC players and coaches at a fundraising breakfast this morning from 7:30 to 9:30 at Applebee's at Northgate; the meal costs $6.
Academics
-Lee University's eight athletes on the Gulf South Conference Fall All-Academic Team included the school's top players in women's soccer and volleyball and three all-conference runners. All-American and GSC player of the year Summer Lanter with a 3.90 grade point average and all-region defender McKenzie Bricker with a 3.87 were soccer Lady Flames along with Suzanne Arant (4.0) earning the league academic honor, and Danny Johnston (3.77) represented the men's team. All-GSC volleyball hitter Silvia Sartori (3.84) and All-GSC cross country athletes Emily Buwalda (3.56), Seth Eagleson (3.67) and Moises Pence (3.84) were the others - Eagleson for the third consecutive season.