UVA women’s basketball picked 10th in preseason ACC poll

The UVA women’s basketball team has been predicted to finish 10th in the official 2014-15 Blue Ribbon Panel Atlantic Coast Conference Preseason Poll and ninth in a polling of the ACC head coaches in results announced Wednesday (Oct. 22) by the conference office.

Notre Dame, which welcomes back two starters and 10 letterwinners from last year’s 37-1 team that reached NCAA title game, received 38 votes from Blue Ribbon panel voters to emerge as the clear-cut favorite. Duke received one first-place vote and placed second in the balloting, followed by ACC newcomer Louisville (two first-place votes) and North Carolina.

Florida State placed fifth in the Blue Ribbon voting, while Syracuse was sixth, Georgia Tech seventh, Miami eighth and NC State ninth. Virginia (10^th), Wake Forest (11^th), Virginia Tech (12^th), Boston College (13^th), Clemson (14^th) and Pitt (15^th) rounded out the voting.

Notre Dame received 14 first-place votes in the ACC coaches’ balloting, while Duke received one. The top eight teams in the coaches’ preseason poll matched those of the Blue Ribbon panel. The ACC coaches voted Virginia ninth, followed by NC State (10^th), Wake Forest (11^th), Virginia Tech (12^th), Clemson (13^th), Pitt (14^th) and Boston College (15^th).

Junior guard Jewell Loyd of Notre Dame was named the 2014-15 ACC Preseason Player of the Year in both the Blue Ribbon Panel and the coaches’ votes.

Virginia returns seven letterwinners, including the 2014 ACC Sixth Player of the Year, Faith Randolph, from last year’s team that advanced to the second round of the ACC Tournament. The Cavaliers also have a recruiting class ranked in the top 15 nationally that includes guards Aliyah Huland El (Randolph, N.J./Randolph High School) and Mikayla Venson (Arlington, Va./Yorktown High School) and a pair of forwards in Lauren Moses (Mount Holly, N.J./Rancocas Valley High School) and Jae’Lisa Allen (Pine Bluff, Ark./White Hall High School).

The Cavaliers open the season at home against Ohio State on Friday, Nov. 14.

 

Blue Ribbon Panel ACC Preseason Poll

1. Notre Dame (835 points, 38 first place votes)
2. Duke (733, 1 first place vote)
3. Louisville (724, 2 first place votes)
4. North Carolina (707)
5. Florida State (545)
6. Syracuse (536)
7. Georgia Tech (508)
8. Miami (421)
9. NC State (407)
10. Virginia (334)
11. Wake Forest (295)
12. Virginia Tech (184)
13. Boston College (178)
14. Clemson (169)
15. Pittsburgh (144)

 

Blue Ribbon Panel Preseason All-ACC Team

• Elizabeth Williams, Sr., C/F, Duke
• Kaela Davis, So., G, Georgia Tech
• Sara Hammond, Sr., F, Louisville
• Allisha Gray, So., G, North Carolina
• Stephanie Mavunga, So, F, North Carolina
• Xylina McDaniel, Jr., F, North Carolina
• Lindsay Allen, So., G, Notre Dame
• Jewell Loyd, Jr., G, Notre Dame
• Brittney Sykes, Jr., G, Syracuse
• Dearica Hamby, Sr., F, Wake Forest

 

Blue Ribbon Panel Preseason ACC Player of the Year

• Jewell Loyd, Jr., G, Notre Dame

 

Blue Ribbon Panel ACC Newcomer Watch List

• Sierra Calhoun, Fr., G/F, Duke
• Rebecca Greenwell, R-Fr., G, Duke
• Shakayla Thomas, Fr., F, Florida State
• Mariya Moore, Fr., G, Louisville
• Brianna Turner, Fr., G, Notre Dame

 

ACC Head Coaches Preseason Poll

1. Notre Dame (223 points, 14 first place votes)
2. Duke (196, 1 first place vote)
3. Louisville (194)
4. North Carolina (193)
5. Florida State (152)
6. Syracuse (149)
7. Georgia Tech (136)
8. Miami (117)
9. Virginia (98)
10. NC State (87)
11. Wake Forest (82)
12. Virginia Tech (54)
13. Clemson (44)
14. Pittsburgh (43)
15. Boston College (32)

 

Coaches Preseason All-ACC Team

• Nikki Dixon, Sr., G, Clemson
• Elizabeth Williams, Sr., C/F, Duke
• Kaela Davis, So., G, Georgia Tech
• Sara Hammond, Sr., F, Louisville
• Allisha Gray, So., G, North Carolina
• Stephanie Mavunga, So., F, North Carolina
• Lindsay Allen, So., G, Notre Dame
• Jewell Loyd, Jr., G, Notre Dame
• Brittney Sykes, Jr., G, Syracuse
• Dearica Hamby, Sr., F, Wake Forest

 

Coaches Preseason ACC Player of the Year

• Jewell Loyd, Jr., G, Notre Dame

 

Coaches ACC Newcomer Watch List

• Sierra Calhoun, Fr., G/F, Duke
• Rebecca Greenwell, R-Fr., G, Duke
• Shakayla Thomas, Fr., F, Florida State
• Myisha Hines-Allen, Fr., F, Louisville
• Brianna Turner, Fr., G, Notre Dame