For Coquese Washington, her time at Penn State is "almost like being married."

As the Lady Lions get ready to open their season Sunday against South Carolina, Washington can't help but relate her experience so far with Penn State to an early marriage.

"The first year, it's like, 'Yeah, it's great, it's wonderful. He's cool'," Washington said at Wednesday's press conference. "The second year, when he leaves his pants in the middle of the floor it's, 'This is what I'm in to.' But you love it anyway."

Washington said her second season is a lot like the second year of a marriage, where the love is still there, but it's still a little different.

After last season was mostly a time everyone was nice to each other, Washington said now everyone is able to be themselves.

Although Washington said she is still getting to know her team, she does have a grasp for her personnel. This past Sunday was the first game of the season, and while it was only an exhibition game, she was able to watch her team on tape.

What she said she saw was an exact match of what she felt during the game, which is rare, Washington said.

What Washington did see was the energy and effort, two aspects stressed in practice. However, she wants to see her squad do a better job attacking the backboard and going after the ball.

One of the players looking to improve on the boards is junior Tyra Grant, who admits she was one of the culprits in the lack of rebounding against California (Pa.).

"My brain is telling me to go, but my legs are just standing there, and I'm just watching," Grant said.

To help instill aggressiveness on the glass, Grant said the team played a game in practice on Tuesday. There was no out of bounds, and Grant said players were trying to knock people on the ground.

The players were often in position to grab rebounds against the Vulcans, but coming down with the ball is the next step in the learning process, Washington said.

"There's two, three people in the area and one ball -- who wants it more?" Washington said. "Who's going to be more fierce? Who's going to have that dogged determination? Sometimes you can have that naturally, sometimes you learn it early on in your basketball career, and sometimes you learn it later in the career. And we're coming into that later in careers."

Early Signing Period Additions

The first day of early signing period was Wednesday, and the Lady Lions wasted no time adding a player to their program.

Ford City's Marisa Wolfe signed a letter of intent on Wednesday. Washington called the 6-foot-3 Wolfe a player who flew under the radar in the recruiting rankings, but Washington said she was thrilled with the signing.

"I love her," Washington said. "I can't begin to describe how I feel about Marisa Wolfe. The fans are going to love her. She's a very skilled post player. She can shoot the ball, and she's a very good passer. She combines skill with toughness and physical play."