DAPHNE, Ala. — The Lady Admirals are on their way again. The defending state 3A volleyball champs —that’s nine-times running defending, 19-times total — got off to a great start with a 3-0 win over 6A powerhouse McGill-Toolen.

With action under way, there’s little time to think about the thing everybody thinks about, but few mention —the streak.

They don’t really talk about it much. And you need a good reason to bring it up. But it hangs in the air like the 19 state volleyball championship banners draping the gym’s four walls.

That which shall not be “discussed lightly” is the nine-year string of defending state titles belonging to Bayside Academy’s Lady Admirals and whether they can bring home their 10th straight and the school’s 20th.

“It’s kind of an unspoken thing,” said head coach Ann Schilling who has helped hang 16 state banners in Moorer Gym since coming to Bayside. “They knows it’s there, but we all just go about our business. It won’t get done by itself and they know it. It motivates them, I know. None of them wants to be the team that doesn’t keep it going and I think they understand that. But most of all, I think this group knows and understands that you have to get there first — and that takes hard work. You start from scratch and you work hard to get back there. You have to earn it.”

Like most Alabama high school volleyball teams that opened practice last week, the Lady Ads are doing some technical work, drills and a lot of conditioning before moving on to more six-on-six situation scrimmaging. Although she has five starters back, her bench will be very young and short on varsity experience.

“I like the outlook,” Schilling said referring to the 2011 season which opened Aug. 18. “We’re very talented, we just need to stay healthy because we’re not that deep.”

But Schilling has a tried-and-true answer for that. Varsity experience can come fast and furious at Bayside. The 3A Admirals play up with a preponderance of 5A and 6A schools on their schedule, most of them perennial Elite-Eight contenders.

“The group I have out there is a great bunch of kids,” she said. “We are going to play a tough schedule like always and get ready for the area and, I hope, another post season. I think it’s always smart to face the toughest competition you can. That’s how you measure yourself as a team. It’s worth taking a loss if it shows you where you need to get better.”