Women's Basketball Opens 2026-27 Season Monday Night in the Roundhouse - University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Athletics

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - The 53rd season of UTC Women's Basketball starts on Monday night with the Mocs taking on UVA Wise at 6 p.m. in McKenzie Arena. It's the first of three games the Mocs are scheduled to play during the opening week of the season: (Nov. 4 at Western Kentucky and Nov. 8 vs. Florida).

Game Day Information
Chattanooga (0-0, 0-0 SoCon) vs. UVA Wise (0-0, 0-0 SAC)
Date: Monday, Nov. 2
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Watch | Live Stats

Series Notes
Chattanooga is 1-0 all-time against UVA Wise, defeating the Cavaliers 75-62 on Nov. 18, 2023 in the Roundhouse. Jada Guinn had 17 points and Raven Thompson scored 16 points to lead UTC in the win.

Promotions
- Season Tip-Off: The wait is over! Join the Mocs as we tip off the 2026-27 basketball season at The Roundhouse.
- Giveaway: Schedule Magnets

How Last Year Went
The Mocs are coming off a 20-11 season where they won a share of the SoCon Regular Season Championship with a 10-4 league record. From Dec. 7-Feb. 7 Chattanooga went 12-games unbeaten. In the postseason, UTC knocked off Western Carolina and Furman as the No. 1 seed in the SoCon Tournament before falling to Samford in the Championship game. That next week, Chattanooga was selected to the WBIT for the first time, before falling at No. 1 seed North Dakota State in the First Round.

UVA Wise on the other hand, went 16-13 and 13-9 in the SAC last year, finishing sixth in the 12-team league. The biggest win of the season came on Dec. 13 at home, where they defeated eventual Regular Season SAC Champions, Lenoir-Rhyne. In the SAC Tournament, the Cavs lost in the Quarterfinals to Carson-Newman. .

About Chattanooga
The Mocs return seven players from last year, led by junior guards Izzy McPherson (7.3 ppg) and Ava Card (6.4 ppg). The other five are senior guard Sarah Owona, senior forward Falon Bedke, and the sophomore trio of guard/forwards Evie Bruce and London Weaver, and guard Kami Wilson. Chattanooga lost four players from last season and are replacing 66.1% of its scoring from a year ago. In this year's SoCon Coaches Preseason Poll, Chattanooga was picked to finish fifth.

Chattanooga added three players from the transfer portal and three freshmen. Out of the portal, the Mocs picked up junior guard Gabbie Grooms (Georgia State), 5th-year guard Caelan Ellis (Charleston Southern), and sophomore forward TaTianna Stovall (Kennesaw State). All three players have played valuable minutes at the Division-I level. Chattanooga's freshmen are guards Lydia Ledford and Sinae Hill, and forward Aaliyah Story. For more information on each of UTC new additions, click this link.

The Mocs are coached by Deandra Schirmer, who is starting her third season and holds a 37-26 record in the Scenic City. She is joined on staff by Assistant Coaches, Alexis Uffmann, Nicole Heyn, Mallory Odell, and Sydney Johnson. Grace Pack is UTC's new Graduate Assistant.

About UVA Wise
Of the Cavs' 12-player roster, 10 are returners from last season. Their top returning player is Alissa Cheek, who averaged 9.8 ppg at the guard position. The Cavs also bring back forward Emiliea Preece (7 ppg) and guard Mia Nienaber (6.6 ppg). A big miss from last season for UVA Wise is guard Carolien Mullins who nearly averaged a double-double with 19.7 ppg and 8.7 rpg. In the SAC Coaches Preseason Poll that was released today, UVA Wise was picked to finish seventh. Monday's game is counting as an exhibition for the Division II program.

Jamie Cluesman is the Head Coach of UVA Wise and is in her ninth year. She has won 107 games during her tenure. She is assisted by Caitlyn Ross, Kalee Johnson, and Emma Helvey.

New to McKenzie Arena
- Roundhouse Rally: This season, we're rallying the roundhouse with a new pregame tradition. Before every home game, special guests from the UTC and local community will sound the train horn to get the Roundhouse fired up for Mocs Basketball.
- EPB Wi-Fi: Fans can now connect to the Wi-Fi named "EPB UTC McKenzie-Free". Keep up with everything you need to online using this network while watching the Mocs.
- New Voice of Women's Basketball: Ryan Swanson is the new PA Announcer for Chattanooga Women's Basketball after Ron Hall's retirement. If you've been to a UTC Soccer game or the UTC Football game against Samford, you've heard how talented he is.
- The new GoMocs app is live and available to download in the Apple Store or the Google Play score.
- Mobile ticket are NFC-enabled. Screenshots of tickets will NOT be valid for entry. Tickets must be downloaded in your mobile digital wallet before entry.

Know Before You Go
- Doors open at 5:00 p.m., exactly one hour before tip-off.
- McKenzie Arena enforces a clear bag policy.
- General fan parking is located in lots 7, 31, and 33 and is $15. No cash will be accepted.
- The ticket offices at Gates 1, 2, and 3 will open 90 minutes prior to the start of the game. Will Call will be located at Gate 1.

2026-27 Chattanooga Basketball Ticket Information | View
Tickets can be purchased online, in-person at the UTC Ticket Office at McKenzie Arena, or by calling the ticket department at (423) 266-6627 (M-F, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. ET). For more information, fans can email the ticketing office at MocsTicketing@utc.edu.

Single-Game Ticket Information

Fans can save by purchasing in advance and avoid the $3 price increase on day of game purchases.
For the women's game against Florida, fans will have the option to add an all-inclusive food and beverage hospitality experience through the Mocs Club for just $25 (per person)!
- This will show as an option on the checkout screen when purchasing online.

Mini-Plan Ticket Information

Season tickets for the upcoming Chattanooga men's and women's basketball seasons are ON SALE NOW with complete information, details, and ways to purchase located HERE.
Special "Pick-6" Mini Packs are also ON SALE NOW! The special packs give fans the flexibility to pick the games of their choice while saving costs against purchasing individual game tickets. To purchase, visit HERE.

FOLLOW CHATTANOOGA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
For the latest news and information on Chattanooga Mocs Basketball, visit the official website of Mocs Athletics at GoMocs.com. Fans can also follow the Mocs on social media at @GoMocsWBK (X), @GoMocsWBK (Instagram) and ChattanoogaWomensBasketball (Facebook).

GoMocs.com is the official website of the Chattanooga Mocs. Buy officially licensed gear in our online store. The Mocs can also be followed on their official Facebook page or on Twitter. Find out how to join the UTC Mocs Club and support more than 300 student-athletes by clicking here. NIL opportunities with Chattanooga Mocs student-athletes can be found here.

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Players Mentioned

Falon Bedke

Evie Bruce

Ava Card

Caelan Ellis

Gabbie Grooms

Sinae Hill

Lydia Ledford

Izzy McPherson

Sarah Owona

Aaliyah Story

TaTianna Stovall

London Weaver

Kami Wilson

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