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The UCLA women’s swim and dive team has been down this path before.

But this time, they want it to be different.

For the second time this season, the No. 14 Bruins will compete in a meet against top-10 teams when they head north to face No. 1 Stanford today and No. 4 California on Saturday.

The last time the Bruins faced a team ranked in the top 10 this season was when they fell to Arizona on Nov. 11. The 170-127 loss to the Wildcats gave the Bruins their only loss of the season.

“We came out intimidated,” coach Cyndi Gallagher said. “We weren’t swimming our best because we were focusing on how good they were instead of how good we are.”

Arizona was able to dominate the Bruins because they faced a younger, more timid squad. The Bruins said that since then, they have grown to be mentally strong and refuse to cower away from swimming their best even when facing daunting opposition.

“Intimidation won’t be a factor this time around,” senior Katie Arnold said. “We could be facing the best team or the worst; either way, we’re going to swim our races the same.”

With both the Cardinal (5-0) and the Golden Bears (6-0) having tremendously successful seasons, the Bruins hope to depend on mental toughness and to leave the Bay Area with two wins.

“We’re going to go in there with confidence, passion and intensity,” Gallagher said. “We may even make a few mistakes, but that’s what happens when you take risks.”

Looking to give the Bruins an early boost in points are the divers. Seniors Sara Clark and Amanda Blong and sophomore Marisa Samaniego have swept both the 1 meter and 3 meter diving events multiple times this season. Pac-10 Women’s Diver of the Month for December Tess Schofield will also compete.

The last time UCLA and Stanford met, the Bruins rolled over the Cardinal, defeating them 180-120. The Bruins hope to repeat their success and are confident they can do so.

“Whenever you face a team who is much better than you on paper, you want to prove what you’ve got,” Gallagher said. “Even though they’re No. 1, you never know what can happen.”

When the Bruins meet in Berkeley to face the Golden Bears on Saturday, they will have revenge on the forefront of their minds. Last season, the Bruins suffered a heart-wrenching defeat to Cal, 154.5-145.5.

“Historically, Cal has been tough for us to beat,” Arnold said. “If anything, that should make us more motivated to beat them.”

The Bruins have come a long way since the beginning of the season, and they know it. They’ve overcome their issues with timidity, making them faster swimmers against tough teams.

“Every meet for us is a stepping stone,” senior Jeana Fuccillo said. “We’ve had a lot of meets – a lot of stepping stones – so we’re going to go out there knowing we’ve been improving this whole time.”