Haleigh Washington cites one obsession in her life, and its not volleyball.The Penn State middle blocker loves them all -- big books, little books, thick books, thin books -- from Dantes Inferno, on her bucket list for years, to childhood favorite Go, Dog, Go! Her most recent title: Barbara Kingsolvers allegorical novel The Poisonwood Bible.I love to cuddle up with a good book, feel the pages and crack the spine, the junior philosophy major said. I love having books all around me and having the possibility of sitting down and leaving wherever I am to escape into a book. As much as I love books, I love reading even more. When I get obsessed with a book, its pretty much all I talk about.So Washington was given a challenge: Talk about the Nittany Lions upcoming season using some of her most beloved titles as reference points.Penn State, winner of a record seven NCAA titles, ranks No. 9 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association preseason poll. Its an atypical spot for one of the most storied teams in the sport, but its not surprising. Last year came to an unsatisfying end for the two-time defending champion, swept by Hawaii in the regional semifinals; Penn State had started the season ranked No. 1 and had never lost to the Rainbow Wahine. It marked the first time since 2011 that Penn State failed to advance to the elite eight or better.The sour taste of that defeat -- and the speech that coach Russ Rose made afterward noting that 28-6 is a record most teams celebrate -- fuels these early weeks of volleyball in State College, Washington said.The physical and emotional toll that goes into three-a-days remind me of The Things They Carried, she said, referring to the Tim OBrien novel on the pride and sacrifice of Vietnam soldiers and the loads they bear, both physical and emotional.When you go to Penn State, the expectation is final four, national championship every year, she said. When youre 28-6 at Penn State, that is the sky falling.Washington watched the Hawaii players celebrate as she walked off the court in Des Moines, Iowa. She knew it was the culmination of a season in which Penn State underperformed.The worst part about it was we almost thought it was supposed to happen, she said. We got what was coming to us and realized we lost because we didnt work hard enough, and thats a horrible thing to come out of a Penn Staters mouth. Thats not what we stand for.No book comes to mind for that reference, she said, but I can compare it easily to a TV show. Its like How I Met Your Mother. That show started great, was OK in the middle and the ending sucked. That was our season: great start, good middle, horrible ending.Rose agreed that his team, which opens Friday at home against West Virginia, faded down the stretch, noting many of his younger players were worn down by the grind of the long season. As for work ethic, he added, Sometimes people dont want to hear the truth when theyre in the moment. They think theyre working really hard and doing everything they can, and in hindsight, when you have time to step back and assess your body of work, you make a declaration of Maybe I could have done more.Reassessing was enough to make Washington, who won it all in 2014 as the Big Ten freshman of the year, hungry to restore glory to Happy Valley. She is excited by the early chemistry of the 2016 team, comparing it to yet another of her favorite reads, The Hunger Games series.That trilogy of books, she said, is without a standout chapter -- its a consistently strong read from beginning to end.Lamenting Penn States lack of steadiness a year ago, she said this years team blends well as a group and understands how crucial it is to compete at the same high level regardless of the circumstances. Thats what will be needed, she said, when the conference schedule gears up, particularly during a late-October stretch when the Nittany Lions play three road games -- Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota -- in a week.Without Micha Hancock or Megan Courtney this season, these Nittany Lions, she said, dont boast a Katniss Everdeen-type superstar.Were all just one great collective unit, she said.That includes junior outside hitters Ali Frantti, an American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) honorable mention All-American last year, and Simone Lee, who closed out 2015 starting 18 of 21 matches. Both, Rose said, will play larger roles this year along with middle blocker Heidi Thelen. Lefty junior Abby Detering will bring an attacking mentality to the setter position, and prize recruit Kendall White could start right away at libero or be a significant back-row sub.Then, of course, theres Washington, a reigning first team All-American, whose .442 hitting efficiency ranked third nationally. Shes a player who Rose said is among the most engaging kids Ive ever coached.The 6-foot-3 star from Doherty, Colorado, was part of a 2014 signing class -- along with Frantti, Thelen and Lee -- that was considered the best in the nation.Washington returns with a stronger serve and improved blocking in addition to more consistent back-row play. My hitting ability is getting better, too, she said. Offensively Im stronger, but the good news is I still have room to grow.So, too, do her teammates, and Washington alludes to a final book regarding her expectations for a season in which nine Big Ten teams are ranked in the initial poll, including three -- Nebraska, Minnesota and Wisconsin -- among the top five.When I think how I want it to end, I think of The Help, Washington said, referring to Kathryn Stocketts debut novel set in the 1960s in Jackson, Mississippi. Its a book with the perfect closure -- not what youd expect to happen, but the ending sums up the book entirely. Whatever happens will be the perfect ending for this team -- whether that be a Big Ten championship, a final four run or maybe ... an NCAA championship.Now that would be storybook. Adidas Stan Smith Online Sale . Siddikur, whose previous win on the circuit came in Brunei three years ago, finished his bogey-free round with a birdie on the 18th for a total of 17-under 199. Indias Shiv Chowrasia, who has finished runner-up in this tournament twice, was in second place after a 66. Adidas Stan Smith Authentic . LOUIS -- The New Orleans Saints looked like a team playing out the string. http://www.cheapstansmith.net/ . Parker had 26 points and eight assists and San Antonio beat Toronto 112-99 Monday night. "We won that game because of Tony Parkers aggressiveness," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "His juice; his aggression all night long. Adidas Stan Smith Outlet Online . -- If this was Aaron Gordons final home game at Arizona, and it almost certainly was, then he went out in style. Adidas Stan Smith Clearance . It was hard for Luck to pull off another comeback, or even get into the end zone, while standing on the sideline. Rivers threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to rookie Keenan Allen and Nick Novak kicked four field goals to give the Chargers a 19-9 victory against the Colts on Monday night. Daniel Ricciardo thinks Red Bull can stay ahead of Ferrari after an impressive opening day of practice in Hungary, albeit in a battle for the final spot on the podium behind Mercedes.Mercedes looks to be in a league of its own this weekend but Ricciardo finished best of the rest behind the championship leader by six tenths. That put him three tenths up on Ferraris Sebastian Vettel and a further four tenths up on teammate Max Verstappen.Asked if that 0.6s gap to the lead Mercedes was genuine, he said: I would say it is pretty genuine. If we are close on Friday it sort of doesnt change too much on Saturday. So I would say that today is probably quite representative.But Ricciardo was much more optimistic about the battle behind the Silver Arrows cars, with Kimi Raikkonen finishing a whole second behind the Australian in the other Ferrari.We are looking pretty good. Obviously wed like to be a bit closer to the Mercedes, but at the moment we are sitting second best.dddddddddddd A bit quicker than Ferrari today, so I think we are more or less where we expected to be. We knew it would be close with Ferrari, and if we can keep our nose in front that would be nice.Ricciardo is hoping to reverse Verstappens momentum after his recent purple patch of form and thinks the Hungaroring, where he claimed a memorable second career win in 2014, is the perfect place to do it.It is the way the sport goes, sometimes you get a better run and sometimes you dont. For me this track has been good, it has been good in the past. I still have a lot of confidence in the way I am driving and everything, so I know if I keep just working and doing what I believe I can do, then the result will come. So I hope that is this weekend, that would be a nice time [to return to the podium]. ' ' '