Dayton, Tennessee, residents Michael Neal and Andy Morgan and Harrison's Jacob Wheeler survived Thursday's elimination round in the Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour's season-ending Redcrest tournament in the Mississippi River at La Crosse, Wisconsin, and Spring City's Wesley Strader missed advancing by just one spot. He had a two-day total of 59 pounds on 35 bass, which left him in 21st place. Neal and Morgan were 10th and 11th at 82-7 and 78-5 on 55 and 37 fish, and Wheeler was 18th at 72-1 on 39 fish. Zack Birge of Oklahoma caught only 19 fish after his 50 on Wednesday but maintained an 18-pound lead at 117-1. The Redcrest continues through Sunday with knockout rounds today and Saturday.
Volleyball
» The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga was picked by league coaches to finish seventh in the Southern Conference volleyball standings this year, but Mocs senior middle blocker Dani Szczepanski made the nine-player preseason all-conference team. She was second-team All-SoCon after the 2018 season, when she led the league with a .347 attack percentage. Samford led the team poll with seven first-place votes and 63 points, while Mercer and Furman were second and third with 52 and 51 and one vote for first apiece. Wofford got 40 points, East Tennessee State 33, UNC Greensboro 32 and UTC 30, and then there was quite a drop-off to eighth-place Western Carolina (13) and The Citadel (10). UTC has an exhibition home match at noon Saturday against Georgia State in Maclellan Gymnasium and opens the season next weekend in Mississippi State's tournament.
» Cleveland State lost 3-0 in its volleyball season opener Thursday night against nationally 16th-ranked Wallace State-Hanceville from Alabama. The set scores were 25-23, 25-17, 25-15. Freshman Stephanie Burke had six kills in defeat for the Lady Cougars, who served nine aces.
» Chattanooga State opens its volleyball season at 6:30 p.m. Friday against a Tennessee Wesleyan team that is 0-4 after losing to Brescia, Goshen, host Huntingdon (Indiana) and Baker last weekend in the Forester Invitational. Tonight's match is an exhibition for Tennessee Wesleyan, a four-year program.