Two-time ACC Player of the Year Elizabeth Kitley will return to the Virginia Tech Hokies for a fifth season, she announced on social media Sunday.
"Dear Hokie Nation, I'm back!" Kitley posted during the women's NCAA championship game.
Kitley had a fifth season of eligibility thanks to the "freebie" year granted to college basketball athletes amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kitley, a 6-foot-6 center, was the projected No. 8 overall pick in ESPN's latest WNBA mock draft. She has averaged roughly 18 points per game each of the past three seasons in Blacksburg, while averaging a double-double as both a sophomore and a senior.
The program's all-time leading scorer as of this season, Kitley helped lead the Hokies to new heights, including the program's first Final Four appearance this past week, when they fell to the LSU Tigers in one national semifinal. Prior to this season, Virginia Tech went as far as the Sweet 16 only once in 1999.
The Hokies won 15 consecutive games heading into the LSU matchup, winning their first ACC tournament title in the process.
Kitley's return means the Hokies won't be starting from scratch following their historic season. While starters Kayana Traylor and Taylor Soule are out of eligibility, Kitley will be back in action with Georgia Amoore, a rising senior who was named the Most Outstanding Player of the ACC tournament and the Seattle 3 Regional, while senior Cayla King has the opportunity to return too. Coach Kenny Brooks has also been successful in the transfer portal, bringing in Traylor, Soule and key reserve D'asia Gregg in recent years.