Virginia Tech Women’s Basketball Picked First In ACC Preseason Poll

The ACC released its preseason women’s basketball poll and Virginia Tech, the reigning ACC champions, was picked to win the league for the first time in program history. It’s the highest projected finish for the Hokies, surpassing second place last season.

Here’s the full poll, with point totals for each team:

The Hokies return three starters from last year’s Final Four squad: Cayla King, Elizabeth Kitley and Georgia Amoore. The latter two were named preseason AP All-Americans on Tuesday. They’ve played a combined 337 games in their Tech careers.

Kenny Brooks and the staff added to that core through the transfer portal, bringing in Matilda Ekh (Michigan State), Rose Micheaux (Minnesota) and Olivia Summiel (Wake Forest). On top of that, former top-100 recruit Carleigh Wenzel is back after redshirting in 2022-23, and Tech also has four extremely talented true freshmen: Carys Baker, Mackenzie Nelson, Samyha Suffren and Clara Strack.

“The pieces are there, the possibilities are there,” Brooks told Tech Sideline in August. “This year’s group, they’re good. They’re very good. And they all bring an aspect to the team that’s a little bit different from the next person.”

Tech, picked No. 8 in the preseason AP Top 25, opens the season Monday, Nov. 6, vs. High Point before a highly-anticipated clash with No. 3 Iowa in Charlotte.

Kitley Named Preseason Player of the Year

Kitley, the reigning two-time ACC Player of the Year, has an opportunity to become just the third player in conference history to win the award for a third time this season, joining Alana Beard (Duke, 2001-04) and Alyssa Thomas (Maryland, 2011-14). It’s no surprise she was named ACC Preseason Player of the Year on Thursday.

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Amoore was named to the preseason all-conference team as well after averaging 16 points and five assists per game last season. The reigning ACC Tournament MVP received the third-most votes from the league’s Blue Ribbon Panel.

Here’s the full team, which includes player of the year votes:

Kitley averaged 18 points and 11 rebounds per game last season and has been very consistent for the Hokies in her career. The Summerfield, N.C., native is the only player in program history with over 2,000 career points (2,048) and over 1,000 rebounds (1,176).

“Obviously, I’ve been trying to be consistent over the last three years, but to further expand my game in ways in a might not be so obvious, so we talk about outsmarting defenders more, making minor adjustments that will help me be more efficient,” Kitley said at the ACC Tipoff in Charlotte on Tuesday. “Really just making things harder to guard at this level but also preparing me for the next. I’m really grateful that I have a coach that looks into the future and is looking to help me, not just for the benefits of him but also what’s best for me.”

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