The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women's basketball program has released its 2021-22 schedule, which includes a Nov. 5 exhibition for the Mocs against Georgia College at McKenzie Arena.
The Bobcats, a Division II and Peach Belt Conference program in Milledgeville, are entering their third season under coach Ross Jolly, a 2011 graduate of UTC and the brother of Tennessee women's basketball coach Kellie Harper, a former Mocs assistant.
(RELATED: UTC announces challenging men's basketball schedule)
Here are three notes about the Mocs' schedule and roster for this season, their fourth with Katie Burrows as head coach.
Nonconference challenges: The Mocs have always scheduled difficult opponents to prepare for Southern Conference competition, and this season is no different. Home games against 2021 NCAA tournament participants Belmont (Nov. 9) and Alabama (Dec. 5) and games at Tennessee (Dec. 27), the University of Alabama at Birmingham (Nov. 29) and Vanderbilt (Nov. 30) will prepare them for a 14-game SoCon schedule against an improving league. Last season, the SoCon was represented in postseason national tournaments by both Mercer (NCAA) and Samford (Women's NIT).
Solid core back: The Mocs return four starters from last season's 14-10 team, led by All-SoCon forwards Abbey Cornelius and Eboni Williams. Five of the top six scorers return.
Roster changes: Bria Dial graduated. Gone by way of transfer are Anna Walker (Tennessee Tech) and Kallie Searcy (Christian Brothers). In are four freshmen already on the roster: Montana transfer forward Karsen Murphy, forward Leah Jones and guards Destiny McClendon and Addie Porter. There's also the case of Hungarian forward Lara Habling, who lists UTC on her Instagram bio but has not been added to the active roster. She averaged 13 points and 5.3 rebounds for Hungary in the 2019 FIBA U16 Women's European Championship.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3.