Behind 39 combined points from Elizabeth Kitley and Taylor Soule, No. 7 Virginia Tech rolled to an 86-48 win over UNC Asheville on Sunday afternoon in Cassell Coliseum.
“I thought we played well in spurts,” Tech head coach Kenny Brooks said afterwards. “[We were] a little bit slow, sluggish at times. But to come away with a win like that, very, very pleased. We have a lot to work on but did a really good job.
“I thought Taylor Soule was tremendous tonight. Liz was Liz, did a really good job. … They never panic.”
The reigning ACC Player of the Year, Kitley recorded her eighth double-double in Tech’s 10 games with 18 points and 10 rebounds. She has 42 double-doubles in her career, which ranks second behind Regan Magarity’s school record 55. Currently with 1,598 career points, Kitley also passed Jenny Root Price for sixth all-time in Tech scoring history against the Bulldogs.
A transfer from Boston College where she was a three-time All-ACC performer, Soule posted a game-high 21 points and five boards vs. UNC Asheville. It’s her fifth game in double figures in 2022-23.
Though it was a close contest early, the Hokies (10-0, 1-0 ACC) pulled away from the Bulldogs (4-4), outscoring them 48-26 over the second and third quarters.
Four other players had double-digit points for Tech: Cayla King (12), Georgia Amoore (10), Kayana Traylor (10) and D’asia Gregg (10).
King made four of Tech’s 11 3-pointers. Amoore, who posted the program’s first-ever triple-double in her last game in Cassell Coliseum – 24 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds vs. Nebraska – added 10 assists for her first career double-double.
Traylor has started three consecutive games in the absence of All-American Ashley Owusu, who has a broken pinkie on her shooting hand. But there hasn’t been a drop-off for the former Purdue star, who has scored 10-plus points in four of the last five games.
Meanwhile, Gregg has been crucial off the bench. She’s seen an uptick in minutes and has performed well. In Tech’s win at Tennessee, she contributed 10 points and four rebounds. On Sunday, she had 10 points and seven boards in 24 minutes.
“I love where we are,” Brooks said. “By no means do I think we’re a finished product, we’re going to continue to grow, but we’ve had a lot of tests, from a physicality standpoint, just different styles of play. … When you can handle those and go through those situations, it makes you a tougher basketball team.”
With the win, Tech is off to a 10-0 start for the third time under head coach Kenny Brooks, the first since 2018-19. That team started 13-0 but missed the NCAA Tournament, finishing 22-12.
Up next is No. 5 Notre Dame on Sunday, Dec. 18. It’s a 4 p.m. tip in Cassell Coliseum on the ACC Network. The Hokies are 2-14 all-time against the Fighting Irish and have lost three consecutive games in the series. In the last meeting in Blacksburg in January 2021, VT fell 65-60.
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