With expectations comes pressure.And LSU volleyball coach Fran Flory is letting her team know it.The team won the past three Southeastern Conference Western Division titles and is a unanimous coaches’ pick to win its fourth.But Flory said the team’s goal is to win the overall league title along with the West crown.”There’s pressure, and I’ve put it on them,” Flory said. “I’m doing that on purpose with this group because it’s a group that should be able to handle it.”No. 21 LSU opens the 2008 season at 4 p.m. today against Texas A&M at the Bluejay Invitational in Omaha, Neb.The Tigers play host team Creighton and Minnesota on Saturday.LSU returns nine letter-winners and lost only one senior from the 2007 roster — defensive specialist Michelle Hensgens.”Usually when you come to preseason, it’s kind of like teaching again,” said senior outside hitter Kyna Washington. “It’s kind of like we just left off from spring … it’s not like we have to take any steps backward.”Three of those letter-winners, including Washington, are on the 2008 preseason All-SEC team. The other two are junior middle blocker Lauren DeGirolamo and senior libero Elena Martinez.Only nine SEC players are named to the preseason team.”This team is extremely talented,” DeGirolamo said. “I don’t think we have one go-to player. Anybody can put the ball away. Anybody can get the job done.”Flory also expects some of the team’s newcomers, like junior transfer setter Sam Dabbs, to perform well this season.”She’s a winner,” Flory said of Dabbs. “She knows what it takes to be successful collegiately … the experience that she brings is a welcomed addition in the gym.”Flory said Dabbs will start at setter against Texas A&M in place of sophomore Brittney Johnson.”There’ll be plenty of matches that we need the level of athleticism that Brittney brings to the court,” Flory said. “This is not a situation that Sam Dabbs has won the starting spot and she’ll be our setter for the year. We need both of them to reach our goals.”Johnson was one of several players in 2007 to play in more than half of all matches as a freshman.”Your freshmen always grow up, but they grew up a little faster and a little further than what we expected them,” Flory said.LSU won its first NCAA tournament game since 1992 last season, beating New Mexico State, 3-2.But the Tigers lost to Texas in the second round, 3-0.Washington said the biggest difference between LSU and Texas when they met in 2007 was the level of maturity between the two teams.”They were older and more mature,” Washington said. “Not saying that we weren’t mature, we just were a little younger and were getting out there on the scene.”—- Contact Robert Stewart at [email protected]