College career
On November 5, 2019, Kitley made her collegiate debut and scored a season-high 27 points, shooting 13-of-15 from the field, in a 105–41 win over Saint Francis (PA). She recorded the most points by a Virginia Tech freshman in a debut. [9] As a freshman, Kitley averaged 12.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game and was named Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Freshman of the Year. [10] On December 4, 2020, she posted a sophomore season-high 30 points and 11 rebounds in an 84–59 win against Appalachian State. [11] On January 17, 2021, Kitley tied the program single-game record with 21 rebounds, while scoring 18 points in a 67–64 loss to Wake Forest. [12] One week later, she scored 30 points for a second time, along with 13 rebounds, in an 89–87 loss to AP No. 2 NC State. [13] Kitley averaged 18.2 points and 10.4 rebounds per game as a sophomore, earning first-team All-ACC honors. [3]
On November 11, 2021, Kitley tallied 34 points and nine rebounds, making a program-record 17 field goals, in a 75–38 win over George Washington. [14] On December 19, she posted 34 points and 13 rebounds in a 92–75 win against Florida State. [15] Kitley sustained a right shoulder injury against North Carolina in the quarterfinals of the 2022 ACC tournament and was sidelined as her team lost to NC State in the following game. [16] She returned for the first round of the NCAA tournament. During the game, Kitley set the Virginia Tech single-game scoring record with 42 points in an 84–81 loss to 12th-seeded Florida Gulf Coast. [17] As a junior, she averaged 18.1 points, 9.8 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game. Kitley was named ACC Player of the Year and repeated as a first-team All-ACC selection. She received third-team All-American recognition from the AP and United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) and was a member of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) All-America team. [18]
On February 23, 2023, Kitley set the Virginia Tech career scoring record, while posting 21 points and 10 rebounds and making the game-winning shot at the buzzer, in a 61–59 win over North Carolina. [19] Three days later, she had a senior season-high 29 points and 11 rebounds in a 65–52 victory over Georgia Tech. [20] At the 2023 NCAA tournament, Kitley led Virginia Tech to its first Final Four. [21] As a senior, she averaged 18.2 points, 10.7 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game, becoming Virginia Tech's all-time leader in points, field goals, blocks and double-doubles. Kitley repeated as ACC Player of the Year, made the WBCA All-America team and was named a second-team All-American by the AP and USBWA. [22]
Despite being a projected first-round pick in the 2023 WNBA draft, she returned for a fifth season of eligibility, granted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [23] After the spring 2023 semester, Kitley completed her Bachelor of Science in human nutrition with concentrations in foods and exercise and summa cum laude honors. [2]
On December 21, 2023, Kitley became the ACC all-time leader in rebounds, recording 23 points and 17 rebounds in a 76–43 win over William & Mary. [24] On January 7, 2024, she made a game-winning layup while posting 27 points and 12 rebounds in a 63–62 win over AP No. 3 NC State. [25] On March 3, 2024, in the regular season finale against the University of Virginia, Kitley suffered an ACL injury in her left leg that would sideline her indefinitely, ending her collegiate basketball career. She would be named ACC Player of the Year the same season, becoming only the fifth in the award's history to earn the honor three separate occasions. Elizabeth Kitley finished her career at Virginia Tech with all-time program records in games started, minutes played, points scored, field-goal percentage, field goals made, double-doubles, rebounds, and blocks.
On April 13, 2024, immediately following Kitley's final season as a student-athlete, Virginia Tech Athletics announced that the jersey number of Elizabeth Kitley's collegeiate career would be formally retired. The ceremony will take place in the 2024-25 NCAA Division I Women's College Basketball season during a game when the Hokies play at Cassell Coliseum, their home venue. Kitley's jersey number is the first and only to be retired by the Virginia Tech Hokies women's basketball program in the 21st century.
