The No. 9 Cal women's swimming team looks to build on its success at the Pac-10 meet to help carry it through the NCAA championships in College Station, Texas.

The three-day event, which begins today and runs through Saturday, will feature the top swimmers in the nation, including Bears' senior Dana Vollmer.

Cal enters the Student Rec Center Natatorium with a full head of steam after claiming the Pac-10 title for the first time in school history, topping defending NCAA champion Arizona as well as an unyielding Stanford team.

"We were really happy to see how the girls performed and how much fun they had with the (Pac-10) meet," assistant coach Kristen Lewis-Cunnane said. "It shows that we're not only approaching our training the right way, but also the fact that the hard work has been paying off. It gives the girls more confidence and helps them believe that they can win the NCAA championship."

This will be the second trip Cal has made to the Natatorium this season, the first coming in late November when the Bears won the Art Adamson Invitational. In the 10-team meet, Vollmer swam a pool-record time of 1:56.24 in the 200-yard butterfly.

Vollmer is also coming off record-setting performances in the 200-yard free and the 800-yard free relay at the Pac-10 meet. She will compete in six different events and will be looking to leave her mark as one of Cal's all-time greats.

"Dana is incredibly valuable in and out of the pool because of the life experiences she has on national teams," Lewis-Cunnane said. "She has been in a lot of high-pressure races and she can help her teammates' nerves this weekend.

"I think she is definitely up there with the best swimmers in Cal history. It's not just about her times, but how she handles herself around the team. She's a great leader and she can really help guide her teammates in this big race."

Last season, Cal finished in fifth place at the NCAA championships in Columbus, Ohio. The year before that, the Bears earned third place at the national meet, their best finish in school history.

The theme of this year's Cal team is much different than previous years. While struggling to a 4-4 record in dual meets, the Bears seem to rise as a team in championship events, using their depth to push past more experienced opponents. But that's not to say they don't have experience of their own, combining a solid freshman class with a group of eight returning All-Americans.

"When you're talking about depth, you can't look at any one athlete," Lewis-Cunnane said. "Each swimmer has their own specific role and to be successful they have to execute that role, something we've done brilliantly this year."

The meet commences today with the 200-yard free relay, an event in which Cal placed second at the Pac-10 meet. Early success could provide the strong start the Bears need to push for their first national title.

"I think it's really important for us to have a good relay in the morning," Lewis-Cunnane said. "We brought less swimmers than most teams, but if we can get off to a good start, it will really help with our confidence going into the next few days."

Tags: CAL WOMEN'S SWIMMING, DANA VOLLMER, 2009 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS