Jeff Tedford has made a name for California football, but that squad may not even be the hottest team on the Berkeley campus.
Golden Bear volleyball, which has had a habit of losing in recent years, has resurfaced as a potential NCAA Tournament team from the Pacific-10 Conference. Although the Bears sport a record of just 3-4 in conference play (12-4 overall), it is a step up from last season’s 3-15 finish.
Only Oregon has shown the same futility that the Golden Bears have suffered recently, and unlike the Ducks, California has done something about it.
California’s victory over No. 20 Arizona on Saturday in Tucson showed the turnaround in the program. One night after the Wildcats defeated No. 4 Stanford, the Golden Bears came on strong and took out their first ranked opponent since last season. It was their first victory over Arizona since 1995.
“The disappointment in the desert turned into redemption ­ that was the word of the day for us,” California head coach Rich Feller said, comparing the game to California’s loss to Arizona State the night before. “Every member of the team believed it. This shows how strong the Pac-10 is, considering that Arizona had defeated defending national champion Stanford the night before. This also shows how good we can be.”
If history had a place in sports, Cal would be nowhere near the winning map. But like all programs rising above mediocrity and ineptitude, the Bears have had to forget history and optimism has had to come out of the shadows.
Cal has done all that.
“History doesn’t matter,” senior Leah Young told the Daily Californian. “It is all about the present and the future.”
The talent and talk is there. Now all the Bears have to do is back it up with stellar play.

Nelson sighting
Cathy Nelson went 43-105, failed to register more than 11 wins in a season and won a total of nine Pac-10 matches as Oregon head coach from 1995-99.
So would it make sense that she is now the Pac-10 volleyball columnist, lending insight into the conference’s weekly matchups on the conference Web site?
Well, maybe not, but it is good to see the former Duck staying in the game. In addition, she is a television analyst and is a high school volleyball coach.
The former Portland State head coach has tasted success in her career, leading the Vikings to a third-place finish at the Division II Tournament.

Next up
Oregon hosts Arizona on Thursday at McArthur Court for a 7 p.m. start. Arizona State invades The Pit on Friday, a game that is also scheduled for 7 p.m.