Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/717693
Sept. 3-4, and she's expecting to have plenty of family and friends cheering her on at the Coors Events Center. Her par- ents and grandmother have been to Uni- versity Park to see her play and have made a few road trips, too, but this will be the 5rst time that aunts and uncles and oth- ers in her extended family will have a chance to see her in action as a collegian. "It's just going to be awesome," Wash- ington said. "It's kind of like a little homecoming. I can see my family, they can come and watch me play, all the fam- ily [members] who haven't been able to come out to Pennsylvania. It'll be awesome to show them what I've been doing. ... I'm just so excited to go home, so excited to show people what I've been work- ing for." If her 5rst two seasons at Penn State are any indica- tion, it should be quite a show. A 6-foot-4 middle blocker, Washington is com- ing o6 a terri5c sophomore year in which she 5nished third in the nation in hitting percentage (.442), winning 5rst-team AVCA All-America notice. Heading into her junior season, she's one of the bold- face names on a team that is in the midst of a signi5cant transition but is looking to the future with its customary optimism. The Nittany Lions were ranked ninth in the AVCA preseason poll, a less-exalted position than the seven-time national champions typically hold down going into the season. That's likely due in part to the way they 5nished up the 2015 season: with a three-set loss to Hawaii in the regional semi5nals of the NCAA tournament. It's also due to all the personnel turnover. The Lions have lost second- team All-Americans Megan Courtney and Aiyana Whitney, and although they wel- come back six starters, including honor- able mention All-American Ali Frantti, they've got a roster that skews young, with only two returning seniors and eight players holding freshman eligibility. In addition, there are three transfers: setters Abby Detering (formerly of Florida) and Caroline Graham (UCLA) and outside | VARSITY VIEWS P enn State volleyball standout Haleigh Washington didn't have any major concerns about traveling more than 1,500 miles two years ago to attend college in the Northeast. Or, for that matter, any minor concerns. "I never really worried about the dis- tance," said Washington, a Colorado na- tive who won a state title at Doherty High in Colorado Springs and was twice named the state's Gatorade Player of the Year. "I was always traveling with my club team, so it wasn't a big deal." Even so, Washington is thrilled to be going home in September. The Nittany Lions will face perennial power Stanford and tournament host Colorado at the Big Ten/Pac-12 Challenge the weekend of HALEIGH'S COMET All-American Haleigh Washington continues her ascent BIG SWING Washington is coming off a sophomore season in which she was third in the nation in hitting percent- age. Photo by Curtis Chan