The No. 19 LSU volleyball team is off to its best start since 1991, cracking the top 20 in the national polls for the first time this season.
But starting tonight, none of that means anything.
The records, for all intents and purposes, are cleared when the Tigers (9-0) begin their Southeastern Conference title defense against Auburn (9-3). They will also host Georgia (8-3) on Sunday.
LSU currently ranks in the top three in the SEC in every major statistical category with the exception of blocking.
LSU coach Fran Flory said the key to her team’s quick start out of the gates is the player’s cohesiveness as a group.
“The kids have done a great job of accepting roles, pushing teammates, and when people see us play we’re a good team,” Flory said. “And good teams beat talent all the time.”
Senior outside hitter Tania Schatow said one thing the team continues to work on in practice is playing at the same high level everyday to avoid any type of a letdown.
“We need to be more consistent and intense all the time,” Schatow said. “Sometimes we go up and down, but I think the biggest thing is consistency.”
One of the Tigers’ main standout performers in last weekend’s Tiger Classic was junior middle blocker Michele Williams.
Williams was named SEC Player of the Week for her efforts against North Carolina, Rice and New Mexico State, where she tallied 45 kills and had a .405 hitting percentage.
She recorded at least five kills in five of her 12 sets on the weekend, including a 16 kill performance in LSU’s match with  New Mexico State.
“[SEC Player of the Week] is a great honor, but I owe it a lot to the team because everybody works hard together,” Williams said. “Without their digs, I wouldn’t be anything without them.”
Auburn enters the match fresh off winning the College of Charleston Classic where the Tigers swept Oregon State and College of Charleston.
“Auburn was voted the most improved team in the league from last year to this,” Flory said. “They’ve taken an international tour, they’ve played together for a long time, they’ve got some new foreign kids who are very good. They’re a very different team.”
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Contact Rob Landry at [email protected]