When Arizona and Arizona State face off, records and rankings are thrown out the window; each team vies for bragging rights.

That attitude will be in full force this afternoon as the 24th ranked UA women's tennis team plays host to No. 8 ASU.

The Wildcats (2-3 overall, 0-1 Pacific 10 Conference) have lost three consecutive matches, but today's matchup might just be what the team needs to get back on track.

"It is a big rivalry," UA head coach Vicky Maes said. "It's big, but players are treating it like any other Pac-10 match. We have been playing well, and we are going to go out and try to get our first conference win."

Last weekend, UA was swept by No. 3 Southern California but bounced back and lost a tough match 3-4 to ninth ranked UCLA.

Arizona was resilient in each match and showed that when it plays its best, it can compete with the nations' best teams.

UA and ASU both played USC over the weekend and they were both swept.

The difference in the two outcomes was that the Wildcats took three of the singles matches to third-set tiebreakers, whereas the Sun Devils were dominated in each of the six singles matches.

"The team is beginning to come together," Maes said. "ASU was swept by USC and our matches were a lot closer. If the girls come out with the same fire and intensity they did last weekend, then I am confident that we can get a win."

Graduate student Emilie Scribot leads the way for the Wildcats, and she will be looking to bounce back from a weekend that saw her lose the first two collegiate matches of her career.

Maes said that those losses will be beneficial for Scribot, as she is beginning to realize that at the top position she is going to have to play her best to come away with a victory.

That task is easier said than done with three-time All-American Adria Engel next up in the featured match of the afternoon for the first-year Wildcat.

"Emilie is challenged each time she steps on the court," Maes said. "Playing at No. 1 is a challenge, and she realizes that she can't come out slowly and still win."

First serve is set to begin at 1 p.m. at LaNelle Robson Tennis Center.