The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women's tennis team will compete this weekend at the University of Central Arkansas, with the Mocs joined by Louisiana-Monroe, Missouri State and the host Bears on Friday and Saturday at the UCA 1st Fall Invitational.
The Mocs have no seniors on their 2020-21 roster and return their entire team after the coronavirus pandemic led to the cancellation of the remainder of this past spring's schedule after 13 matches. A blanket waiver from the NCAA provided the opportunity for spring sports athletes to receive an extra year of eligibility.
"The team is very excited about this weekend," coach Chad Camper said in a UTC release. "We really want to take off where we left last season. We are trying out some new doubles lineups, and I want to see us win with some variety."
The trip to Conway, Arkansas, is the only event currently listed on the team's schedule at GoMocs.com. The schedule page for the UTC men's tennis team has not been updated for 2020-21.
Although the Southern Conference postponed league competition for fall sports (cross country, football, soccer and volleyball) until the spring semester, it gave member schools - which include UTC - the option to participate in nonconference events. The SoCon also permitted schools to make their own decisions regarding fall competition for sports such as golf and tennis that stage the majority of their events in the second semester of the school year but also hold some during the fall.
The women's tennis team will become the second UTC sports program to compete this semester. The volleyball team beat Georgia State this past Saturday, and both golf teams are set to tee off their 2020-21 schedules Monday, with the men in the Scenic City Intercollegiate at the Honors Course in Ooltewah and the women in the Hoover Invitational in Birmingham, Alabama. The women's soccer team had a home match planned against Georgia State this past Sunday, but a cancellation was announced the day before.
UTC is set to play one football game this semester, on Oct. 24 at Western Kentucky.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3.