NORFOLK, Va. — The Norfolk State women's basketball team was picked to finish second in the 2026-27 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Preseason Predicted Order of Finish, the league office announced Wednesday, as voted on by the conference's head coaches and sports information directors.
The Spartans collected 76 points, trailing only preseason favorite Howard (86 points, 10 first-place votes) and finishing 20 points clear of third-place Maryland Eastern Shore.
The Green and Gold are coming off a season in which they went 18-15 overall and 11-3 in MEAC play, reaching the MEAC championship game with tournament wins over Morgan State and Maryland Eastern Shore before falling to Howard, 53-46.
Senior forward Alexis Davis (Glassboro, N.J.) and senior guard Cire Worley (Philadelphia, Pa.) represent Norfolk State on the MEAC Preseason Watch List.
Worley headlines the Spartans' returners as they replace three of last season's starters. Da'Brya Clark, Jasha Clinton and Anjanae Richardson accounted for 1,221 of the team's 2,093 points, nearly 60 percent of the offense.
Worley is Norfolk State's top returning scorer after starting 32 of 33 games and averaging 7.4 points and 4.8 rebounds in 30.2 minutes per contest. She also ranked second on the team with 37 3-pointers and shot 77.9 percent from the free-throw line. Her production climbed in league play, where she averaged 9.0 points and 5.5 rebounds while shooting 78.6 percent at the line across 14 MEAC games.
Davis is among the newcomers expected to help fill that void. The 6-foot forward joins the Spartans for her senior season after stops at Monmouth and Buffalo. She appeared in 31 games with 15 starts at Monmouth, averaging 7.1 points and 6.1 rebounds per game to rank second on the team in rebounding, with seven double-figure scoring games and three double-doubles. At Buffalo, she averaged 7.8 points and 6.3 rebounds as a freshman while leading the team with 207 rebounds, then started 20 games as a sophomore. At Woodbury High School, Davis became the first player in school history to reach 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds and finished as the county's all-time leading scorer with 2,145 points.
Norfolk State opens the 2026-27 season on Monday, Nov. 2, against Virginia State at Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall in Norfolk, Va. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m., the first half of a doubleheader with the Spartan men, who face Regent at 8 p.m.
2026-27 MEAC Women's Basketball Predicted Order of Finish
(First-place votes in parentheses)
| Rank |
School |
Votes |
| 1 |
Howard |
86 (10) |
| 2 |
Norfolk State |
76 |
| 3 |
Maryland Eastern Shore |
56 (1) |
| 4 |
Coppin State |
47 |
| 5 |
Morgan State |
40 |
| 6 |
North Carolina Central |
36 |
| 7 |
Delaware State |
34 |
| 8 |
South Carolina State |
17 |
2026-27 MEAC Women's Basketball Preseason Watch List
Coppin State: Shanaii Gamble (Jr., F), Karen Nimo (Jr., G)
Delaware State: Mahogany Cottingham (Sr., G), Maya McCorkle (So., CG)
Howard: Zoe Stewart (Gr., G), Ariella Hennigan (So., G)
Maryland Eastern Shore: Kaliya Perry (So., F), Mak Moore (So., G)
Morgan State: Mihjae Hayes (Gr., PG), Jahzara Leamon (Fr., G)
Norfolk State: Alexis Davis (Sr., F), Cire Worley (Sr., G)
North Carolina Central: Victoria Morris (Jr., G), Eboni Clay (Jr., G)
South Carolina State: Alexia Murphy (So., F), Monajah Ford (Sr., F)
For complete coverage of Norfolk State Athletics, please follow the Spartans on social media at @nsuspartans (X/Twitter), /NorfolkStateAthletics (Facebook), @NSUAthletics (Instagram), @nsuathletics (YouTube) or visit the official home of Norfolk State Athletics at nsuspartans.com.
