LAKE CHARLES--  McNeese women's basketball will get an early test when they open their season against 24^/25th ranked Chattanooga in the Preseason WNIT in Chattanooga, Tennessee Friday. Tipoff is set for 6:30 Eastern time and will be streamed live, free of charge. Fans can also follow live stats with both links posted on www.mcneesesports.com.
 
The Cowgirls enter the game after posing an 18-14 record last season where they advanced to their third straight WBI Tournament, falling in the second round.
 
McNeese will enter the season with a team that has only two seniors but also have a host of other players who have gained a lot of playing experience the past two years. Preseason All-SLC picks Allison Baggett and Jayln will spearhead the Cowgirls' offense. Baggett led the Cowgirls in scoring with 16.0 ppg. while Johnson averaged 13.7 ppg. and led the team in steals. Also looking to make an impact this season will be juniors Haily Jenkins, Amber Donnes, Victoria Rachal, and Hannah Cupit along with sophomores Frederica Haywood, Jasmine Carswell and Mercedes Rogers. Haywood led the Cowgirls with a 48.0 field goal percent and averaged 7.0 rpg.
 
Chattanooga returns their top three scorers and are coming off a 29-4 overall record for the third straight year and third consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament. The Mocs ended the 2014-15 season ranked 17^th in the nation after falling to Pittsburgh in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, snapping a 25 game winning streak. A member of the Southern Conference, Chattanooga has won the regular season title the last three years. Jasmine Joyner, a 6-2 junior, led the Lady Mocs in scoring and was fifth in the nation in blocked shots last season. Alicia Payne, the league's defensive player of the year, ranked 19^th in the nation with a conference best 2.39 assist-turnover ratio. Chelsey Shumpert is coming off a season where she averaged 11.5 ppg. and Keiana Gilbert averaged 10.5 ppg.
 
This will be the first meeting between the two teams.