Kenny Brooks provides injury update on Virginia Tech standout Elizabeth Kitley ahead of NCAA Tournament
The Virginia Tech Hokies women’s basketball team will take on the Marshall Thundering Herd in a 4-seed vs. 13-seed first-round matchup of the women’s NCAA championship tournament. Unfortunately, the Hokies will have to venture out on this championship quest absent one of their star players, Elizabeth Kitley.
Just ahead of their Thursday afternoon matchup with Marshall, Virginia Tech head coach Kenny Brooks provided an injury update on Kitley, and the news is what individuals within the program and fans feared. According to the Hokies head coach, his star center will miss the women’s NCAA tournament with a leg injury.
As Brooks continued and proceeded to provide more context to Kitley’s injury, it was revealed that she would be out with a torn ACL.
This is a huge blow to Virginia Tech’s national championship aspirations, as Kitley is the team’s engine. Kitley is a three-time ACC Player of the Year, capturing the title yet again following an impressive 2023-24 season. Kitley started and played in all 29 games for Virginia Tech this season, averaging 34.3 minutes per contest to go along with 22.8 points and 11.4 rebounds.
Making up for the super senior center’s production will be a daunting task for Brooks’s squad this tournament. Kitley is the team leader in points per game, rebounds, and blocks. At six feet six inches, she is a force in the paint that very few upholding squads have had an answer for.
In terms of replacing her scoring, Virginia Tech has just one other player, guard Georgia Amoore, who is a consistent scorer for the team. Her 19.2 points per game are the second-best for the Hokies this season.
Unfortunately, after her, there is a significant drop in the points per game average for this team. The next closest player is wing Matilda Ekh, who’s averaging nearly 10 points fewer with 9.8 per contest. So it goes without saying someone will definitely have to step up and help fill the nearly 23-point hole left by Kitley being lost for the tournament.
Rebounding-wise, there is a similar drop-off in production. Senior forward Olivia Summiel is second on the roster and rebounds per game at 7.0. Outside of her, no one else eclipses the 4.0 mark for Virginia Tech. However, Brooks does have a freshman center with the size and potential to step up and make a name for herself this tournament and Carla Strack. Strack is a 6 foot 5 freshman out of Buffalo, NY.
Playing behind the ACC Player of the Year, she has received little playing time this season, averaging just over 13 minutes per game. Now, with Kitley out and likely off to the pros next season, she has an opportunity to start her era of dominance under Brooks at Virginia Tech.