By Tylee Stauffer ’24, staff writer

As the fall sports’ seasons wind down, the LVC women’s basketball team’s season is in full swing, and its team captain has some insights on the upcoming season.

Kate Fitzpatrick is a senior captain and point guard for the women’s basketball team this year.

The team has a roster of 16 student-athletes, with six of them being first-year students and one being a transfer student.

“The team dynamic this year is amazing,” Fitzpatrick said. “We are an extremely close-knit group, and we are continuing to build the culture we want on and off the court. We really are becoming one big family that supports each other day in and day out.”

The team’s motto for this season is “family”. The goal of this motto is to create an atmosphere in which everyone feels supported and valued.

“Family is so much more than just a word or motto,” she said. “It’s about being there for each other through everything, having each other’s backs, and pushing each other to be the best possible player and individual.”

Some goals for the season for this squad are to make playoffs again, win home court advantage for the playoffs and be in the top four of the MAC Freedom conference.

With the switch in conferences this season, the biggest challenge for the women’s basketball team will be playing against two nationally ranked teams, DeSales University and Stevens Institute of Technology.

“We will be playing two nationally ranked teams this year which just fuels our motivation and determination even more,” she said. “We are looking forward to these games because they will test us. We want to play our best and prove ourselves during big games like these.”

The LVC women’s basketball team has its home season opener on Saturday, Nov. 11 against Penn State Hazleton at 6 p.m. at Sorrentino Gymnasium. Its first home conference game is Wednesday, Jan. 6, at 5 p.m. at Sorrentino Gymnasium.