On an otherwise overcast Saturday afternoon at Spieker Aquatics Complex, where the No. 9 Cal women's swimming team fell to No. 2 Stanford 162-129, one bright spot for the Bears was the outstanding performance by senior Dana Vollmer.

Vollmer, who specializes in short-distance events, competed in the 100- and 200-yard freestyle, the 100-yard fly, and finally, the 400-yard freestyle relay.

Not only did Vollmer sweep all four events against rival Stanford (20-0, 7-0 in the Pac-10), but she also set two new Spieker pool records in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:43.66 and, more impressively, she broke Natalie Coughlin's six-year-old record in the 100-yard freestyle, with a time of 48.32.

"Dana did a really good job getting her hand to the wall first," assistant coach Kristen Lewis-Cunnane said. "It's kind of the culmination of her career. I'm proud of the way she swam her races and the heart and passion she had."

On the day when Cal (4-4, 3-3) was recognizing its five departing seniors-Madison Kennedy, Natalie LaRochelle, Lauren Rodgers, Emily Verdin and Vollmer-it seemed only fitting for Vollmer to go out in front of the home crowd with a splash.

With the help of her coaches, Vollmer has been working hard on her starts, turns and sprints. But it has been her starts that have given her so much speed and success as of late.

The theme of the day seemed to be that whoever happened to be quickest off the block not only had the advantage but most often won the race. Event after event, the swimmer in front at the 15-meter mark was able to use the momentum to maintain the lead.

When asked about the importance of starts, Vollmer said, "We had really been focusing on starts and turns in practice. The whole team has been doing a great job with it. Starts are one of my highlights. I get off the block well and it sets me up well for the rest of the race."

Although the Cardinal pulled out the victory over the Bears, many of the Cal coaches and swimmers took the most from their performance. The Bears look to use this new speed to get ready for the Pac-10 championships commencing on Feb. 25 in Federal Way, Wash.

"The races today showed a lot of team heart," Vollmer said. "And while we didn't win them all, there was a lot of personal success. I got close to a lot of my best times, and that was using an old suit and no rest. So that gives me a lot of confidence going into the Pac-10s."

Cal will have its hands full in Federal Way going up against powerhouse Stanford as well as defending national champion Arizona. However, the Bears have made several impressive strides as of late, and after a bit of fine-tuning, they look to make some noise come the conference championships.

"We're lucky to race against Stanford, they're one of the best in the country," Lewis-Cunnane said. "This event provides a good stepping-stone for us. Now we're going to work on starts, turns, and finishes to help prepare (the team) for the Pac-10's."

Tags: CAL WOMEN'S SWIMMING, DANA VOLLMER