GREENSBORO, N.C. – Honored dually for their academic and athletic accomplishments, four Virginia Tech women's soccer student-athletes have been named to the 2021 All-ACC Academic Team, as announced by the league on Thursday.
Senior midfielder Emily Gray, senior forward Nicole Kozlova, sophomore goalkeeper Alia Skinner and freshman defender Allie Lewis represented the Hokies on the conference's 76-member team. The Hokies' four honorees were recognized for achieving GPAs of 3.0 or higher for both the fall 2021 semester and their academic careers, as well as for displaying high degrees of excellence on the soccer pitch.
Gray – Tech's statistical leader during the 2021 campaign (12 goals, eight assists) – moves on from the Hokies as a three-time All-ACC Academic Team selection (2019, 2020-21). After representing Tech on the 2021 United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-American Third Team, she graduated in December with her bachelor's degree in sports media and analytics before being drafted No. 3 overall by the North Carolina Courage of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL).
Part of the Hokies' triple attacking threat, Kozlova notched seven goals and four assists during the 2021 season en route to earning her first career All-ACC Academic Team selection. Joining Gray in Tech's December commencement, she graduated with her bachelor's degree in computational modeling and data analytics prior to signing professionally with HB Køge in Denmark.
Anchoring the Hokies between the posts, Skinner kept five clean sheets while compiling a 1.16 goals against average during her 12-win campaign. The second-year business major and first-time All-ACC Academic Team mention collected ACC Co-Defensive Player of the Week honors in September for her superior save percentage that helped Tech earn consecutive results against No. 4 North Carolina and No. 2 Duke.
Lewis shined during her rookie season as one of the league's top center backs, making 20 starts while leading the Hokies' outfield players in pitch time. Pursuing her degree in human nutrition, foods and exercise, she helped Tech preserve six shutouts across the course of the season, heading in her lone goal during Tech's 5-0, October victory against Miami.
