BLACKSBURG – A pair of Hokies, senior guard Aisha Sheppard and sophomore center Elizabeth Kitlley were recognized on the Preseason All-ACC Team the conference announced Tuesday morning on Packer and Durham. Sheppard and Kitley, represent the second-highest scoring duo (27.3 points per game) to return to the ACC this upcoming 2020-21 season.
The show also announced the predicted order of finish, with the league's coaches and Blue Ribbon Panel of media members both selecting Tech to place seventh in the 15-team league.
A First Team All-ACC member in 2020, Sheppard became the 28th woman to score 1,000 points in maroon and orange last season and continues to climb the charts in 3-point shooting as well. She enters the season in second place all-time with 219 3-point FGs, just 50 behind Vanessa Panousis' mark of 269.
Sheppard averaged 14.8 points per game in 2019-20 and played more than 33 minutes per game, and she will be an integral piece to the Hokies' success again this campaign.
The Alexandria, Virginia native graduated with a degree in multimedia journalism in the summer and is enrolled in grad school.
Kitley begins her sophomore season as the reigning ACC Freshman of the Year, an award she collected after posting 12.5 points per game and 7.5 rebounds per contest last season. Both totals ranked second on the squad and she is Hokies' top returning rebounder.
After recording 27 points in her first contest, Kitley went on to score in double figures 19 times her freshman season and she collected six double-doubles, all of which led to Tech victories.
The Summerfield, North Carolina native already owns program records for most blocks in an ACC contest (eight) and has the best field goal percentage for an ACC season (.573) as well as most blocks (41).
Below is the full list of awards and honors announced by the conference office this morning.
Head Coaches & Blue Ribbon Panel Preseason Player of the Year
Dana Evans, Louisville, Sr., G
Head Coaches Preseason All-ACC Team
Taylor Soule, Jr., F, Boston College
Dana Evans, Louisville, Sr., G (12, Preseason Player of the Year Votes)
Janelle Bailey, North Carolina, Sr., C
Jakia Brown-Turner, NC State So., G,
Elissa Cunane, NC State, Jr., C (3, Preseason Player of the Year Votes)
Kiara Lewis, Syracuse, Sr., G
Tiana Mangakahia, Syracuse, Gr., G
Elizabeth Kitley, Virginia Tech, So., C
Aisha Sheppard, Virginia Tech, Sr., G
Ivana Raca, Wake Forest, Sr., F
Head Coaches Newcomer Watch List
Hailey Van Lith, Louisville, Fr., G
Kianna Smith, Louisville, Jr., G
Deja Kelly, North Carolina, Fr., G
Maddy Westbeld, Notre Dame, Fr., F
Kamilla Cardoso, Syracuse, Fr., C
Head Coaches Predicted Order of Finish
Louisville (13, first-place votes) - 223
NC State (2, first-place votes) - 210
Syracuse - 193
North Carolina - 157
Georgia Tech - 146
Notre Dame - 138
Virginia Tech - 125
Florida State - 124
Boston College - 120
Miami - 99
Duke - 74
Wake Forest - 73
Clemson - 56
Pittsburgh - 37
Virginia - 25
Blue Ribbon Panel Preseason All-ACC Team (57 voters)
Taylor Soule, Jr., F, Boston College (3, Preseason Player of the Year Votes)
Dana Evans, Louisville, Sr., G (40, Preseason Player of the Year Votes)
Janelle Bailey, North Carolina, Sr., C
Elissa Cunane, NC State, Jr., C (11, Preseason Player of the Year Votes)
Sam Brunelle, Notre Dame, So., F
Kiara Lewis, Syracuse, Sr., G
Tiana Mangakahia, Syracuse, Gr., G (3, Preseason Player of the Year Votes)
Elizabeth Kitley, Virginia Tech, So., C
Aisha Sheppard, Virginia Tech, Sr., G
Ivana Raca, Wake Forest, Sr., F
Blue Ribbon Panel Newcomer Watch List
Tiana England, Florida State, Gr., G
Hailey Van Lith, Louisville, Fr., G
Deja Kelly, North Carolina, Fr., G
Maddy Westbeld, Notre Dame, Fr., F
Kamilla Cardoso, Syracuse, Fr., C
Blue Ribbon Panel Predicted Order of Finish (57 voters)
Louisville (45, first-place votes) – 840 points
NC State (10, first-place votes) – 797 points
Syracuse (2, first-place votes) – 724 points
Notre Dame – 555 points
North Carolina – 547 points
Florida State – 516 points
Virginia Tech – 482 points
Boston College – 468 points
Georgia Tech – 452 points
Duke – 385 points
Miami – 359 points
Wake Forest – 258 points
Clemson – 183 points
Virginia – 149 points
Pitt – 125 points