William and Mary women’s basketball is set to open the 2026-27 season under head coach Erin Dickerson Davis with an established roster.
Unlike the men’s team, which brought in a sweeping group of transfers, 11 players from last year’s squad will return to William and Mary women’s basketball. The returners include senior guard Cassidy Geddes, who earned Preseason All-Coastal Athletic Association First Team honors and averaged a team-high 13.9 points per game in 2025-26, and senior guard Monet Dance, the Tribe’s primary distributor with 3.4 assists per game last season. Freshmen guards Denver Carlton and Skyla Mastronardi also joined the squad.
For Dickerson Davis, who is entering her fifth season in Williamsburg, bringing back a battle-tested roster has allowed the Tribe to hit the ground running in practice.
“One thing we talk about is the process it is going to take for us to reach our goals in the end,” Dickerson Davis said. “I think to be able to have experience come back and people that have gone through it — that know what it takes to win in this league, that know what happened when we lost — has been very impactful for us.”
The Tribe’s identity will once again revolve around its high-pressure defense and length inside. Junior forward Natalie Fox, who started all 30 games last year and averaged 9.3 points per game, expects William and Mary’s experience on the floor to pay immediate dividends.
“The summer was really helpful for me as well as the rest of the team,” she said. “It helped me see how impactful I can be on the floor and how that works with my teammates I have currently.”
Fox highlighted the team’s evolution since her freshman season.
“We’ve really grown into the offense where we’re sharing the ball, looking around, looking for the next pass, supporting our teammates that way, and for me personally, I think that’s such a great thing because I’m a post player,” she said.
Dickerson Davis said she expects the two newcomers to contribute immediately.
“The team has a lot of respect for them and what they do, and it started outside of just basketball,” Dickerson Davis said. “All these little things showed their work ethic, who they are and what they stand for.”
Dickerson Davis said the graduation of former guard Alexa Mikeska, a four-year contributor on the court, made Carlton and Mastronardi’s arrivals all the more important.
“Being able to find freshmen that are going to come in and be able to contribute makes me feel a lot better knowing that I was going to be losing such an important piece to who we are, what our culture stands on,” Dickerson Davis added.
Coaches selected the Tribe to finish fourth in the preseason CAA poll. Dickerson Davis said she remains focused on ensuring the Tribe maintains high standards in its daily preparations.
Geddes and Dance’s leadership will be central to the team’s dynamic this season.
“I think that Cassidy [Geddes] and Monet [Dance] need to bring other people with them,” Dickerson Davis said. “It’s easy as seniors to just worry about you and how good you can be in this league or what you have shown in this league.”
The non conference portion of the Tribe’s schedule will provide several tests for Dickerson Davis’ team.
Sunday, Nov. 8, the Tribe will travel to John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, Va. to face Virginia, which advanced to the Sweet Sixteen in the 2026 National Collegiate Athletic Association women’s basketball tournament.
The Tribe opens its season at Kaplan Arena in Williamsburg, Va. Monday, Nov. 2 against Chowan.
“It’s been an exciting summer,” Dickerson Davis said. “I just can’t wait to play games so that we can really learn about who we are.”
