After an incredible 2023 for Elizabeth Kitley, which included her second consecutive ACC Player of the Year award, her second AP All-American honor, and a trip to the Final Four; Kitley didn’t miss a beat in the new year, claiming her second ACC Player of the Week honors of the season to open 2024.
Never a doubt.
— Virginia Tech Women's Basketball (@HokiesWBB) January 8, 2024
Congrats 3️⃣3️⃣ pic.twitter.com/Td7LKYaNMP
The two-time ACC Player of the Year began the week with an ultra-efficient 27-point, 12-rebound performance against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons on January 4th, knocking down 10 of her 15 shots, while also dominating on defense with four blocks.
Kitley followed up that performance with another 27 and 12 game on 12 of 24 shooting versus the now formerly third ranked NC State Wolfpack. While Kitley was phenomenal all night, she will be remembered for her shot in the closing moments. Down 1 with just over a two seconds left on a sideline inbounds pass, Kitley received a back screen from Georgia Amoore and caught a beautiful cross court pass from Cayla King before knocking down a fadeaway jumper from the block with 0.9 seconds left for the win.
With this game-winning shot, Kitley and the Hokies handed the Wolfpack their first loss of the season, showing that they have what it takes to beat any team in the country. While the Hokies didn’t pull out their previous two big games against Iowa and LSU, they seem to be starting to take the next step just at the right time as they begin ACC play and look to cement themselves as championship contenders.
This ACC Player of the Week honor comes as Kitley’s 11th of her career, which she’s been piling up over the past 4.5 seasons. The All-American is yet again one of the favorites to win ACC Player of the Year as she’s managed to improve her stats from the last two seasons to 21 points and almost 12 rebounds per game. Kitley will continue adding to her historic resume, which includes being the top scorer, rebounder, and shot blocker in program history, over the last couple months of the season, as Virginia Tech prepares for another March Madness run.
