4 Inside Hokie Sports VIRGINIA TECH women’s basketball put the nation on notice during the 2023 postseason. The Hokies are for real, and they’re here to stay. Members of the ACC since 2004-05, the Hokies’ previous best showing in the league’s postseason tournament was a trip to the semifinal round. Under the guidance of head coach Kenny Brooks, Tech not only surpassed that threshold this season but broke through and won the entire tournament, staking its claim as the conference’s best team and elevating the program’s profile on the national stage. “I’m so proud,” Brooks said in his postgame press conference. “So proud to be associated with this group, this university, this athletic program. The resiliency that these kids showed throughout the year, the support that we got from Hokie Nation all year long. I knew when these kids came and they committed to us, I knew eventually we were going to be playing for different things, and they proved me right.” The Hokies were tested but ultimately not troubled en route to the 2023 Ally ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament title game. Tech used a dominant 20-5 first-quarter edge to cruise past Miami (Fla.) in the quarterfinal round before pulling away from Duke with 17 unanswered points in the second quarter to book its spot in the marquee matchup. The fourth-seeded Cardinals hung with the Hokies for much of the game, but Tech made clutch play after clutch play to create separation and take home the title. “We’ve grown up a lot,” Brooks commented. “This is only the second time that I’ve beaten Louisville, and it comes on a really grand stage. We just really kept our composure. That’s one of the things that this group has done. We’ve gone through it the last month and a half where we’ve kept our composure in very dire situations, and we’ve come out on top because of their maturity, and today was no different.” Virginia Tech’s 2022-23 campaign started with a 10-game winning streak, including victories over notable foes such as Kentucky, Missouri, Nebraska and Tennessee. The Hokies ascended to as high as No. 6 in the AP Top 25 poll, good for the program’s best ranking in school history. Amoore made some history of her own against the Cornhuskers, recording the first triple-double in program history with 24 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds. Tech would go on to amass a 14-4 record in league play highlighted by five wins over ranked teams, including a stretch of three consecutive top-25 victories, marking the first time a Hokie women’s basketball squad has accomplished that feat. Kitley was named the ACC Player of the Year for the second season in a row, while Amoore and Soule were first- and second-team all-league picks, respectively. Amoore was tabbed the event’s most valuable player after scoring 65 points and draining 14 three-pointers over Tech’s three games, setting a new record for made triples in the tournament. “Our team just wanted it so bad, and we knew that we were going to win it from the start,” said Amoore. “We were saying we were going to win it, and we just all had to believe and give every single ounce of effort. The effort was just a huge factor. Honestly, the way that Taylor Soule played, the way that D’asia Gregg played, Liz Kitley, Cayla King, Kayana Traylor, all of them, that is all MVP. We’re the best team, so it equals out.” The Hokies were poised to make noise further in March after being named a No.1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history, giving them the chance to host in the tournament for the first time since 1999. Tech defeated Chattanooga in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and followed it up with a victory over South Dakota State WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
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