Check out the FloVolleyball NCAA Countdown, where we rank the top 20 collegiate women's volleyball teams in the country leading up to opening day on August 26. The No. 14 spot goes to Oregon this year, and here's why:

The Upshot

The Ducks welcome a monster freshmen class. How high can a fairly young team fly once it leaves the nest?

Last Season

• 16-14 overall, 10-10 in Pac-12 (6th place)
• 0-1 in NCAA Tournament (lost 3-1 @ Wisconsin)
• No. 44 final 2015 RPI
• Team hitting percentage: .243 (#44 in nation)
• Opponents' hitting percentage: .217 (#232 in nation)
• Team blocks per set: 2.06 (#154 in nation)

The Players

RETURNING STARS

Amanda Benson | 5-7 | Senior | Libero
4.65 digs/set

Lindsey Vander Weide | 6-3 | Sophomore | Outside Hitter
3.21 kills/set (.231); 0.53 blocks/set

Taylor Agost | 6-2 | Junior | Outside Hitter
2.69 kills/set (.257); 0.43 blocks/set

Kacey Nady | 6-2 | Senior | Middle Blocker
1.90 kills/set (.320); 0.91 blocks/set

Maggie Scott | 5-10 | Sophomore | Setter
9.66 assists/set

PROMISING NEWCOMERS

Ronika Stone | 6-2 | Freshman | Middle Blocker

Willow Johnson | 6-2 | Freshman | Opposite

Jolie Rasmussen | 6-2 | Freshman | Outside Hitter

Brooke Van Sickle | 5-9 | Freshman | Libero

BIGGEST LOSSES

Martenne Bettendorf | 6-1 | Opposite
3.48 kills/set (.226); 0.52 blocks/set

Frankie Shebby | 6-1 | Outside Hitter
Transferred to Colorado; 1.81 kills/set (.163); 0.27 blocks/set

Non-Conference Matches to Watch

August 26 vs. Texas
August 27 vs. Florida
September 9 vs. Illinois

Outlook

Last season, Oregon spent the non-conference part of its schedule entirely on the road, at one point dropping three straight, including a five-set heartbreaker to Nebraska. This season, coach Jim Moore (11th season at Oregon, 27th overall) keeps the Ducks home early on, hosting big names like Texas, Florida and Illinois as he tries to introduce some of the nation's top recruits to life in Division I. The biggest addition is 6-2 freshman Ronika Stone, a middle blocker who led the world in hitting (.550) while playing for USA's Youth National Team. She's the daughter of former NFL Pro Bowler Ron Stone, something she can talk about with fellow freshman Willow Johnson, whose father is Baseball Hall of Famer Randy Johnson, and with freshman Jolie Rasmussen, whose mom, dad and sister all played or play DI volleyball. And, like, Stone, freshman libero Brooke Van Sickle was a First Team Under Armour All-American. Van Sickle may have to wait her turn, since returning starter Amanda Benson may be the Pac-12's best libero. Sophomore Lindsey Vander Weide returns at OH, with junior Taylor Agost moving to the right, but don't be surprised to see Stone at MB and either Johnson or Rasmussen on the pins. Moore promises to spend much of August working on defense, a sore point last season. "We were horrible blockers in the beginning of last season," he said, "but got better." Oregon is one of the last major power holdouts not employing swing blocking, something Moore said "we talk about literally every day."

Prediction

In a conference long dominated by Stanford and Washington, at least one other team takes turns breaking into the top three. That won't be Oregon this season, but the Ducks will press UCLA and USC if either falters.

Previously:
20. Louisville
19. UNC
18. BYU
17. Illinois
16. Purdue
15. Texas A&M

Additional research and reporting contributed by Leslie Hamann.