LSU volleyball coach Fran Flory’s team was picked in the preseason by the Southeastern Conference coaches to win the SEC Western Division title.If they do win the division, it would mark the fifth-straight season the Tigers have done so.For Flory and the Tigers, that’s a great achievement. But it’s not quite what they want — they want the outright SEC championship.That quest begins in the PMAC this weekend as LSU (6-3) will open its conference schedule against Tennessee (6-3) tonight and will also face Kentucky (10-0) on Sunday afternoon.”This weekend is going to go a long way because these two teams are two of the top teams in the conference,” Flory said.LSU sophomore libero Lauren Waclawczyk said despite a tough weekend, she feels the Tigers have the talent to achieve their goal.”We’re figuring out our system still,” Waclawczyk said. “But when we are in [a] system, I feel like nobody can stop us.”Home matches like these will be important for Flory’s club, as road victories are hard to come by in the conference. Last season, the Tigers were 8-2 in conference at home but 5-5 on the road.All SEC matches will be made a little harder for the Tigers because LSU is stuck without a travel partner this year, as the SEC has 11 teams that participate in volleyball. That means the Tigers will face two teams each weekend that have to play only one match.”Being at home is going to give us more confidence,” said senior outside hitter Marina Skender. “It’s going to be very important to take care of these opening matches.”A pair of home victories this weekend will be even harder to come by against the Volunteers and the Wildcats, two of the top SEC teams. Tennessee got one of 11 votes to win the SEC, while Kentucky got three.The Tigers went 1-3 last season against their two SEC East foes, with their only victory coming at home against Tennessee.LSU will get to face Tennessee and preseason All-SEC selection Nikki Fowler, a junior outside hitter, to open SEC play. The Tigers are 0-3 in Friday night matches this season.Fowler racked up 34 kills and 16 digs in seven sets against the Tigers last season.Flory said she isn’t sure how to game plan for Fowler.”We have to try to do a better job [than last season] of getting them out of system serving-wise,” Flory said. “The great thing for them about Nikki Fowler is that she is an option even out of system. So we will have to try to limit her touches, and our blocking will have to be good.”Tennessee coach Rob Patrick said he will have the same problem with LSU senior middle blocker Brittnee Cooper, noting that focusing too hard on Cooper will allow LSU’s other weapons to hurt his team.”I think the first thing we are going to try to do [to stop her] is see what kind of music she likes best and see if that band is playing somewhere Friday night,” Patrick joked. “We’re going to buy her some tickets and send her there, and I’m being serious when I say that’s about the only way you are going to stop her.”- – – -Contact Andy Schwehm at [email protected]