FSU picked fifth in ACC women's hoops preseason poll
The Atlantic Coast Conference
Following a vote from the conference’s Blue Ribbon Panel, Virginia Tech was voted the preseason favorite to win the 2023-24 Atlantic Coast Conference Women’s Basketball Championship for the first time in program history. The Hokies open the season ranked No. 8 in the preseason Associated Press Poll and No. 5 in the initial USA Today Coaches Poll.
For the second consecutive year, the Blue Ribbon Panel selected Virginia Tech standout Elizabeth Kitley as the 2023-24 ACC Preseason Player of the Year.
The Hokies finished with 45 of 61 first-place votes and 1,116 points. Notre Dame, which claimed last season’s ACC regular-season title, finished second with 14 first-place votes and 1,052 points. North Carolina and Louisville each claimed a first-place vote and finished third and fourth, respectively.
Florida State (855 points) rounded out the top five, with guard Ta'Niya Latson and forward Makayla Timpson making the preseason All-ACC team.
Kitley looks to become the first three-time ACC Player of the Year since 2013, as she was the lone ACC representative on the six-player AP Preseason All-America list. The Summerfield, North Carolina, native was one of only three players in the nation to average more than 18 points and 10.5 rebounds per game last season, as she led the Hokies to their first-ever ACC title and Women’s Final Four appearance. During her senior season, Kitley became Tech's all-time leader in points, field goals, blocks and double-doubles while also eclipsing 1,000 rebounds and 2,000 career points.
Kitley is joined on the Preseason All-ACC Team with teammate Georgia Amoore, who earned two first-place votes. The rest of the Preseason All-ACC team is comprised of Latson and Timpson, Notre Dame’s Olivia Miles and Sonia Citron, North Carolina’s Deja Kelly and Alyssa Ustby and Syracuse’s Dyaisha Fair. Latson earned four first-place votes, while Miles earned three, and Kelly, Citron and Fair each earned one first-place vote. Notre Dame’s Maddy Westbeld and Clemson’s Amari Robinson each earned a first-place vote but did not earn a spot on the preseason team.
The 2023-24 campaign begins on Monday, Nov. 6, with nine teams in action, headlined by Notre Dame taking on South Carolina in “Oui Play” in Paris, France, on ESPN. ACC play opens on Thursday, Dec. 7, when Duke visits Clemson.
A nation-best eight ACC teams were selected to compete in the 2023 NCAA Tournament. It marked the fifth consecutive NCAA Tournament in which eight ACC teams were selected, which ties the league record and is the most among all conferences in that span.
Blue Ribbon Panel Preseason Player of the Year
Elizabeth Kitley, Gr., C, Virginia Tech
Blue Ribbon Panel Preseason All-ACC Team (61)
Elizabeth Kitley, Virginia Tech (46)
Ta'Niya Latson, Florida State (4)
Georgia Amoore, Virginia Tech (2)
Olivia Miles, Notre Dame (3)
Deja Kelly, North Carolina (1)
Sonia Citron, Notre Dame (1)
Dyaisha Fair, Syracuse (1)
Alyssa Ustby, North Carolina
Makayla Timpson, Florida State
Olivia Cochran, Louisville (1)
* Maddy Westbeld (Notre Dame) and Amari Robinson (Clemson) each received a first-place vote.
Newcomer Watch List
Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame
Kiki Jefferson, Louisville
Jayda Curry, Louisville
Lexi Donarski, North Carolina
Jadyn Donovan, Duke
Blue Ribbon Panel Predicted Order of Finish (61 voters)
1. Virginia Tech (45), 1116
2. Notre Dame (14), 1052
3. North Carolina (1), 973
4. Louisville (1), 867
5. Florida State, 855
6. Miami, 702
7. Duke, 686
8. NC State, 652
9. Syracuse, 504
10. Virginia, 438
11. Clemson, 395
12. Georgia Tech, 342
13. Boston College, 226
14. Wake Forest, 192
15. Pitt, 120
