BATON ROUGE – LSU senior middle Michele Williams gives truth to the infamous saying – actions speak louder than words.
“I’m not a very vocal leader,” Williams said. “I lead by example. I feel like my leadership style is to give it my best and hope my teammates follow.”
“Michele isn’t the type of leader who is going to tell you what to do, how to do it and when to do it,” head coach Fran Flory said. “Instead, she is going to be the one to show you.”
Flory believes every team needs both types of leaders, a player who leads with her voice and a player who leads by example.
“You need the type of leader who is going to get after someone and challenge them,” Flory said, “At the same time, you also need the quiet leader who always does the right thing and sets the example, like Michelle.”
Williams may be quiet and soft-spoken, but don’t let those characteristics fool you on the court. The Magnolia, Texas, native has proved to be one fierce competitor and has racked up 1,084 kills to go along with 365 blocks during her career.
“It’s a really great feeling to know I have achieved a statistics like that,” Williams said. “I definitely didn’t do it alone. My coaches and teammates helped me along the way.”
Since 2007, Williams is the fifth player to go over 1,000 kills for her career. She enters Saturday’s regular season finale with Arkansas ranked 16th in program history on LSU’s all-time list.
“Being on LSU’s all-time kills list is an amazing accomplishment for Michele,” Flory said. “There aren’t many middle blockers who have that many kills and who can climb the ranks the way she did. I think Michele is going to end up being one of the all-time greatest middles that has played for LSU.”
When Williams arrived at LSU, Flory worked to revamp the offense to adhere to Michele’s pace and style.
“We play a faster system and a more dynamic system,” Flory said. “Much of that is due to Michele’s emergence as a player in our program.”
Williams and senior defensive specialist, Lauren Waclawczyk, not only share the court as the only two seniors but also share similar playing styles. The duo has continued LSU’s championship tradition as the Tigers claimed a share of their seventh consecutive SEC Western Division title last weekend.
“Michele and Lauren may not be the most physically imposing, but they are both very quick, athletic and dynamic,” Flory said. “Michelle and Lauren have changed the face of LSU volleyball.”
From her freshman year until now, Williams has grown to love her LSU volleyball family.
“When I first got here I was really shy, and I didn’t talk to the coaches much,” Williams said. “But after you start spending all-day, everyday with your coaches and teammates you become a family with those people.”
Not only has Flory taught Williams the skills she needs to dominate the court, but she also has been there as a life coach and a friend.
“Fran has been like a second mom to me and my teammates,” Williams said. “She always wants us to do well in school and volleyball, and she also cares about our social life and things like that.”
Williams and Flory’s relationship is unlike any other.
“I don’t think I have ever had a player that I didn’t have to talk to to get my point across. All I have to do is look at Michelle and she can receive the message,” Flory laughed. “I don’t even know how to put it in words because it’s not words.”
Williams has built a legacy that will forever be remembered at LSU.
“I want my coaches and teammates to look back on my career at LSU and remember how hard I worked for my team and for myself,” Williams said.
“We will certainly miss Michele,” Flory said. “We will always remember what she did for this team,”