A lot has changed since the No. 7 Cal volleyball team last battled No. 2 Stanford.

Heading into that encounter, both squads were on 11-match winning streaks and fighting for sole possession of first place in the Pac-10. The Bears were also carrying a school record 29-set winning streak into the match.

Cal ultimately claimed a 3-1 win, its first victory on the Farm since 1979, and took over first place in the conference.

But after a subsequent win over UCLA, things took a turn for the worse.

The Bears (20-4, 10-3 Pac-10) went 2-3 over their next five games, while the Cardinal has reeled off six straight victories since its only loss in Pac-10 play.

Tonight, they meet again at 7 p.m. at Haas Pavilion, giving Cal the chance to complete its first sweep of Stanford (21-3, 12-1) in 29 years.

But even with the return of seniors Morgan Beck and Kat Reilly into the lineup, the Bears have looked fatigued and out of sync in the last six matches.

"It's been really hard, and the fact that the team isn't having chemistry and working well together frustrates me because I'm the setter and I'm supposed to keep everyone together," sophomore Carli Lloyd said. "I wasn't doing my job very well."

In that six-match span, the Bears fell to USC, were swept by Washington, and lost to unranked Arizona. But Cal believes there was a renewed passion after the five-set loss to the Wildcats. The next night, the Bears beat Arizona State, 3-1, and have transferred momentum from the victory to practices this week.

"There is a very big difference actually," Lloyd said. "We're all attentive and ready to get better. There's been a lot more improvement in the last two days than there was in the past two weeks I think."

Along with the changes in attitude, Cal cites its knowledge of Stanford's lineup as an advantage.

"They're coming out to get us, but we know them really well and have played with them in outside events," Reilly said. "It's funny because watching tape today, usually we go by numbers when we're watching teams, but we know their names, each one of them."

In fact, the Cardinal's front row alone contains three nationally recognized athletes. Cal's blocking, which has been hit-or-miss all season, will have to be at its best to contain All-American outside hitters Cynthia Barboza and Alix Klineman, and the 2007 AVCA National Player of the Year in Foluke Akinradewo.

The Bears are up for the challenge, though, and are also relishing the opportunity to improve. While coach Rich Feller has consistently stated that improvement is always the goal, his philosophy is finally sinking in.

"We were such perfectionists for a while and it got to our head," Lloyd said. "So I'm not worried so much about the outcome as I am just enjoying being with them right now…because right now, it's just about getting better and learning to play together."

Tags: RICH FELLER, CAL VOLLEYBALL, AM'RA SOLOMON, CARLI LLOYD