Last weekend was a jolting introduction to the season for the young University of Tennessee at Chattanooga volleyball team. The Lady Mocs won one set — what used to be called a game — in Milwaukee matches against big lineups from Tennessee, Marquette and Houston.

The rest of the year will be a gentler test of UTC’s resilience, willingness, determination and patience, beginning at 7 tonight against Alabama A&M.

The Country Inn & Suites Challenge continues Saturday at Maclellan Gymnasium with UTC meeting South Alabama at noon and a strong Central Michigan team at 4 p.m.

Alabama A&M is 0-3 but South Alabama is 2-0 and Central Michigan is 2-1 with its loss a five-setter to Liberty, which beat Maryland.

The Lady Mocs play in tournaments at Coastal Carolina and UAB the next two weekends, with a trip to Belmont thrown in. It will be October, in fact, before Lisa Rhodes’ team will be home again, and by then the Lady Mocs will have played Southern Conference matches at Georgia Southern and Davidson.

“We’re definitely going to take some lumps early,” Rhodes said Thursday. “Losing six seniors from last year, we were picked fifth in our division of the conference. My goal for this year is to make the top four and get to the tournament, and then make a run in the tournament.”

The only player back with extensive experience is a great base for a rebuilding season: senior Lara Newberry. The former Baylor School star was Collegiate Volleyball Update’s national libero of the year, as well as the SoCon libero of the year, and her NCAA-record season of 942 digs put her to within 392 of the modern-era career standard of 2,791, and she’s now 352 away.

“It means a lot to my parents. My mom keeps a running tally,” Newberry said, downplaying the record’s in-season importance for her.

The Lady Mocs went 19-14 overall and 13-5 in regular-season conference play last season — their best SoCon record in seven years. And that was despite losing their top two setters within the space of a week. The second of those, Michaela Huff, is now a senior and “about 80 percent” recovered from a torn ACL, Rhodes said, and 5-foot-11 junior Cassie Conner transferred from Ball State to share the top setting role.

Conner had 39 assists and Huff added 11 in the Marquette tournament. Also back is sophomore Bailee Chastain, the former Red Bank star who filled in last year and had 643 assists in 56 games.

“Bailee came in and did a good job,” Newberry said. “We got over it and did what we could. We really felt for Bethany (Herndon), since it was her senior year.”

Senior Laura Nethery from Notre Dame High School is another local player with UTC experience. She appeared in 21 matches in 2007.

Ashley Yeager leads the 2007 reserves moving into key roles. The 5-9 junior outside hitter from Parker, Colo., also provides vocal leadership.

“Lara Newberry leads with just her consistent, outstanding play, anchoring that back row,” Rhodes said. “Ashley is kind of that player who keeps talking on the floor all the time. She played behind two senior hitters last year, but she’s adjusting to being our number-one hitter. She’s not very tall but she jumps well.”

“I think it’s going to be a very good year for me, and I expect a lot of really good things from this team,” Yeager said.

Aurore Kullak from Belgium played in all 33 matches last year as a freshman and provides versatility, and 6-2 middle blocker Courtney Barnes got a little experience in her first year out of Franklin High School. Middle blocker Ellie Kuhn from San Antonio — originally from the Atlanta area — and 6-1 Stephanie Harville from Morristown are freshmen who have already shown they’ll make an impact.

Jessica Scott is a 5-11 redshirt freshman from Kansas who was second to Yeager in kills last weekend. Other freshmen are 5-10 Sarah Torgeson from Knoxville Karns and 5-9 Jessica Williamson from Goodpasture Christian.

“I think our freshmen, once they get out there and get more comfortable playing in college, will be really good,” Newberry said. “And I think this team will be really good the next few years. We’re going to be good this year.”