Cal Looks to Reignite Fire to Defeat Desert Teams

While there were many technical aspects of the No. 6 Cal volleyball team's performance last Sunday that could have been at fault, the Bears instead pointed to something that doesn't show up on the stat sheet.

"We were all tense last weekend," senior Am'ra Solomon said. "So this week in practice, we've been playing more loosely and we play better when we have more fun."

The Bears (19-3, 9-2 in Pac-10), coming off a 3-0 loss to then-No. 6 Washington, hope to channel all that positive energy into two road wins when they take on Arizona (13-9, 3-7) and Arizona State (12-11, 3-7) this weekend.

Cal swept the two teams at home in mid-October en route to its school-record 8-0 start in Pac-10 play. However, the Bears have dropped two of their last three matches and didn't look sharp in the only win, either.

"I think everyone realizes we hurt ourselves, so players are taking more responsibility to support each other and work a little harder," Cal coach Rich Feller said.

One of the key things missing recently, according to both Feller and the players, has been communication.

"Basically, if we ever feel the energy level is going down, players like myself, Kristen Kathan, or Carli (Lloyd) always step up and say we need to pick it up," Solomon said. "Our goal is to never let it go quiet in practice."

On Tuesday, the coaches used practice as more of an instructional session. In comparison, Wednesday saw more drills and scrimmages, with the focus on team defense. One of the drills called for one side of the court to get a dig, set and kill sequence three times in a row to earn a point.

Defense will be key this weekend as both the Wildcats and the Sun Devils present unique challenges. While Cal was able to hold the two squads to respective hitting percentages of .058 and .120 the last time around, a lot has changed since then.

"Arizona is finding their system a little better now that the young players have more experience," Feller said. "ASU, I think they're a miniature version of Washington. When they're in system, they're very fast to the pins, and it's hard to defend against."

Fortunately for Cal's defense, depth will no longer be an issue as seniors Morgan Beck and Kat Reilly have seen an increased amount of playing time over the past few matches. The two have been battling injuries for most of the season but both are just about back to 100 percent.

"Not only do we have good players on the court, we also have good players on the bench ready to fill in," sophomore Meagan Schmitt. "Just having those extra players is weight off our shoulders."

Along with getting their players back and healthy, the Bears hope to recapture the passion that was so evident during the first half of conference play.

"I'm not sure how we lost it, but I am sure that we have it back and that we are ready for this weekend," Schmitt said.

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