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. 3 spot goes to Texas this year, and here's why:

The Upshot

Texas was hit hard by graduations and an academic ineligibility, but the 'Horns remain loaded.  

Last Season

• 30-3 overall, 15-1 in Big-12 (conference champion) 
  
• 5-1 in NCAA Tournament (lost 3-0 in NCAA Finals to Nebraska) 
  
• No. 2 in final 2015 RPI 
  
• Team hitting percentage: .304 (#3 in nation) 
  
• Opponents' hitting percentage: .179 (#54 in nation) 
  
• Team blocks per set: 2.47 (#44 in nation)
  

The Players

RETURNING STARS

Paulina Prieto Cerame | 6-2 | Senior | Outside Hitter
3.09 kills/set (.268); 0.53 blocks/set; Second Team All-American

Chloe Collins | 5-7 | Senior | Setter
11.56 assists/set (#13 in nation); Third Team All-American

Cat McCoy | 5-7 | Junior | Libero
4.12 digs/set

Yaasmeen Bedart-Ghani | 6-4 | Sophomore | Outside Hitter
1.66 kills/set (.336); 0.81 blocks/set

Ebony Nwanebu | 6-4 | Junior | Opposite
Injured in 2015; 2014 Freshman of the Year

PROMISING NEWCOMERS

Micaya White | 6-1 | Redshirt Freshman | Outside Hitter
First Team Under Armour All-American

Orie Agbaji | 6-2 | Freshman | Middle Blocker
First Team Under Armour All-American

Claire Hahn | 5-5 | Freshman | Libero
Second Team Under Armour All-American

Riley Fisbeck | 6-1 | Freshman | Setter
Third Team Under Armour All-American

Autumn Rounsaville | 5-5 | Freshman | Libero
Third Team Under Armour All-American

Blair Westerlund | 6-3 | Freshman | Middle Blocker

BIGGEST LOSSES

Chiaka Ogbogu | 6-2 | Senior | Middle Blocker
2.76 kills/set (.402, #20 in NCAA); 1.19 blocks/set; First Team All-American; academically ineligible for 2016 season

Amy Neal | 5-9 | Outside Hitter
4.27 kills/set (#30 in NCAA) (.260); 0.37 blocks/set; First Team All-American

Molly McCage | 6-3 | Middle Blocker
2.11 kills/set (.378); 0.98 blocks/set; Third Team All-American

Non-Conference Matches to Watch

August 26: @ Oregon
August 27: vs. Nebraska @ Oregon
September 9: @ Colorado State
September 14: vs. Texas A&M
September 18: vs. Wisconsin

Outlook

Last year's NCAA runner-up has some pretty big shoes to fill. Outside hitter Amy Neal and middle blocker Molly McGage have graduated. More ominously, star middle Chiaka Ogbogu is academically ineligible this season, but promises she "will be back and stronger than ever in 2017." Coach Jerritt Elliott (16th season at Texas, 18th overall) said Ogbogu's absence "is a big loss for us, obviously. We thought this was going to be one of the strongest starting lineups we'd ever had."

The Longhorns' MB1 will be 6-3 sophomore Morgan Johnson. Elliott says he may platoon MB2 among 6-3 junior Mirta Baselovic, 6-2 freshman Orie Agbaji, and 6-3 freshman Blair Westerlund. Despite the loss of Neal, Elliott says his team will have "four great pin hitters," starting with opposite Ebony Nwanebu. The 6-4 junior was the 2013 Freshman of the Year at USC, but missed almost all of 2015 at Texas with an injury. Now, Elliot said, Nwanebu has "the best speed, velocity and physicality in the gym." On the left side, senior Paulina Prieto Cerame and redshirt freshman Micaya White will be the starters, with Yaasmeen Bedart-Ghani pushing for playing time. Senior setter Chloe Collins and junior libero Cat McCoy will be key to bridging the gap between Texas' veterans and its talented newcomers. They'll get an early test this weekend in Eugene, Oregon, in their rematch against Nebraska.

Prediction

The Longhorns always win the nine-team Big-12 Conference, and could host the first four rounds of the tournament. Last season, Florida missed beating Texas in an Austin Elite 8 match by the thinnest of margins. Home cooking could provide a similar advantage this season.

Previously:

20. Louisville
19. UNC
18. BYU
17. Illinois
16. Purdue
15. Texas A&M
14. Oregon
13. Ohio State
12. Penn State
11. Florida
10. USC
9. Hawaii
8. Washington
7. Kansas
6. UCLA
5. Wisconsin
4. Stanford

Additional research and reporting contributed by Leslie Hamann.