Tara Vittese Named to the 2015 Preseason All-ACC Field Hockey Team
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Aug. 25, 2015
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia sophomore midfielder Tara Vittese (Cherry Hill, N.J.) was named to the 2015 Preseason All-ACC Field Hockey Team, as announced by the Atlantic Coast Conference on Tuesday (Aug. 25).
Vittese, a 2014 Longstreth/NFHCA First-Team All-American and first-team All-ACC honoree, ended the regular season leading the ACC in points (51), points per game (2.68), goals (17), shots (80) and shots per game (4.21) as well as being tied for first in assists (17) and ranking second in goals per game (0.89) and assists per game (0.89). Nationally, Vittese ranked in the top-12 in points per game (4th), assists per game (6th) and goals per game (11th).
The ACC also announced the 2015 preseason poll with the Cavaliers, last year’s ACC-regular-season co-champions, predicted to finish fourth. North Carolina, who have reached the semifinals of the NCAA Championship the past six years, garnered four votes for first place and edged out Syracuse for the top spot. The Orange, which advanced to the national championship game last year, collected two first place votes and 31 points.
Third-ranked Duke was selected on one ballot to finish in first place and collected 26 points. Virginia (18 points), Wake Forest (17), Louisville (13) and Boston College (8) round out the preseason poll. ACC teams have won 17 of the 34 NCAA field hockey titles, including 10 of the last 13, and at least one ACC squad has advanced to the national championship for 16 straight years. All seven current ACC programs finished the 2014 season ranked nationally.
Virginia, which rose as high as No. 3 in the NFHCA rankings last season after being voted sixth in the ACC preseason poll, finished the 2014 campaign with a 12-8 record.
The 2015 Virginia field hockey season officially gets underway on Friday, August 28, when the Cavaliers host Drexel at 6 p.m. at Turf Field. Admission is free for all UVa home field hockey games during the regular-season.
The 2015 ACC Field Hockey Championship will be held Nov. 5-8 in Charlottesville, Va.
2015 ACC Field Hockey Predicted Order of Finish
1. North Carolina (4) – 34
2. Syracuse (2) – 31
3. Duke (1) – 26
4. Virginia – 18
5. Wake Forest – 17
6. Louisville – 13
7. Boston College — 8
2015 Preseason All-ACC Field Hockey Team
Emily McCoy, Jr., M, Boston College
Aileen Johnson , Sr., M, Duke
Lauren Blazing (GK), RSr., GK, Duke
Elisa Garcia, Sr., M, Louisville
Nicole Woods, So., M/F, Louisville
Emily Wold, Sr., M/B, North Carolina
Julia Young, Jr., B, North Carolina
Alyssa Manley, Sr., M, Syracuse
Emma Russell, Sr., F, Syracuse
Tara Vittese, So., M, Virginia
Emily Conroe, Jr., M, Wake Forest