Kitley, Sheppard garner Preseason All-ACC accolades

BLACKSBURG – The Atlantic Coast Conference announced its preseason awards Wednesday morning with Virginia Tech graduate student Aisha Sheppard and junior center Elizabeth Kitley each earning All-ACC honors. That duo was the conference's highest scoring pair last season averaging nearly 36 points per game. They combined to total 30 or more in 20 of Tech's 25 games and led the Hokies to a program-best six-game winning streak in ACC play and ultimately, a trip to the NCAA Tournament, where VT hadn't been in 15 seasons. The pair became the first set of VT teammates to earn First Team All-ACC honors in the same season last year

Kitley, a finalist for the Lisa Leslie Award, honoring the nation's best center, recorded 13 double-doubles and was the only Power Five sophomore to average 18 points and 10 rebounds per game. She was also the only league player to score 30 or more points multiple times during the season. 

Sheppard, Tech's all-time leader in 3's with 306, recorded 87 triples in 2020-21, breaking her own single-season record. She led the ACC and was fifth nationally in that category. The grad student was named an Honorable Mention AP All-American in 2021.

Tech was picked fourth by both the Blue Ribbon Panel and the coaches, representing the highest predicted order of finish for the program since VT joined the ACC in 2004. 

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Blue Ribbon Panel Preseason All-ACC Team

Blue Ribbon Panel Newcomer Watch List

Blue Ribbon Panel Predicted Order of Finish