It’s time to move the games inside. As the weather cools down, the competition heats up as the women’s basketball team begins their season against Fairfield this Sunday. The women’s team jump started their season to a roar of cheers in the Jake Nevin Fieldhouse as coach Perretta unveiled the Big East Championship banner.

Those cheers, they hope, will carry into the Pavilion as they begin their season in an attempt to become an even more dominant force in the NCAA. However, even with the swift hands of Courtney Mix and Kelly Nash and the leadership of Villanova’s winningest coach, the team is missing the one key ingredient: the sixth man, or woman in this case.

The Villanova Basketball Club will help bring those cheers in unison as they kick off the women’s home opener with a tailgate party on Sunday beginning at 12:30 p.m. in the Jake Nevin Fieldhouse. With contests, music, food and free giveaways, the energetic atmosphere is set to pump up the crowd before tip-off. Some of the contests include knock-out and three-on-three, so remember to bring your best playing shoes along with your loudest voices. The tailgate party is a new initiative introduced by the Basketball Club to help celebrate the competition and camaraderie of Villanova basketball.

Despite the team’s winning record, they haven’t seen the support they deserve from Villanova, especially the student body. “As a club we hope that students will be more inclined to get together at our tailgate and then head over to the women’s game to show them some student support,” said Terese Molinaro, member of the executive board of the Basketball Club. “It’s about time that students show support to one of our best athletic programs.”

The tailgating event is the first of many that the Basketball Club will be hosting for both the men and women’s teams. The Basketball Club is excited to bring ‘Nova fans together and give them the opportunity to create an even stronger bond of support for the basketball program.

“Our ultimate goal is to get students to come together and get excited before home basketball games,” Molinaro said. “We want to give basketball fans the opportunity to get to know one another better and create unity within the student section.”

Unity is the ultimate goal of sportsmanship. When players, coaches and fans come together as one, they create a climate that is intimidating to opponents. The Basketball Club seeks to bring that unity together, starting with this Sunday, as they rally up fans in support of women’s basketball. For the first time in a long time, the women’s team will be greeted by a Wildcat roar that has been missing from the walls of the Pavilion. Coach Perretta, and the Basketball Club have found your sixth player hailing from Villanova, Pa.; they are a roaring student section with an undefeatable heart.