After just hanging on to win in Arizona, the Huskies will have their first major tests of the season when they take on Pac-10 rivals, No. 8 Cal (11-1) this Friday, and No. 6 Stanford (11-2), Sunday at Hec Edumundson Pavilion.

The 9th ranked Huskies will have their hands full tomorrow night; the Bears, whose only defeat came in a three-game sweep from Minnesota, have allowed only one match to go more than three sets this season. On top of that, since their Sept. 14 victory over Cal Poly, the Cal volleyball team has won 17 straight sets.

The UW’s defense will have to watch for junior outside hitter Hanna Cutura, who leads the Golden Bears offense with 4.32 kills per set and a .375 attack percentage. Both numbers are second in the Pac-10. Junior Kristen Kathan leads the Bears defense with 4.00 digs per set. The last time these two teams faced off, the Dawgs won 3-1.

After one day’s rest, the UW will face off against Stanford. The Cardinal, which has swept nine opponents this year including six of its last seven, will travel to Washington Sunday for a nationally televised game.

As a team, the Cardinal offense is lights out. They lead the Pac-10 with a .327 hitting percentage and are one of seven teams in the nation to be hitting above .300.

The team is led by last year’s American Volleyball Coaches Association player of the year, Foluke Akinradewo, who was a non-stop force, tallying 4.12 kills per game and smacking for a staggering .499 hitting percentage.

Her percentage last year was the second highest in NCAA history. This year, Akinradewo is off to a slower start hitting a .442 hitting percentage.

The UW has some good players of its own. Senior middle blocker Jessica Swarbrick was named the Pac-10 player of the week after hitting .550 in Arizona.

Washington also has the lead in both overall series, edging Cal 27-22 and Stanford 42-9. The most recent series against Stanford have been much closer, with Stanford taking eight of the last 14 regular-season meetings.

Reach reporter Zach Ruby at sports@dailyuw.com.