Ranked in the top 25 for the first time since 1996, the Arizona men's tennis team travels to Los Angeles to take on No. 8 UCLA today and No. 4 Southern California tomorrow.

This will be the first official Pacific 10 Conference match for Arizona, as this season's previous encounters with Pac-10 schools didn't count for conference play.

The No. 25 Wildcats (8-4) have never beaten UCLA, but lost by the slimmest of margins earlier this year, 4-3.

"For us, like it's been all season, the guys believe they can win no matter who they go up against," said assistant coach Tad Berkowitz. "I know history shows that we haven't won down there a whole lot, but our goal is to try to come away with two wins."

USC (8-1) walked out of Tucson earlier this season with a 7-0 sweep, and the Trojans have climbed in the rankings ever since. They are led by No. 25 Adriano Biasella, who is followed by three other ranked players and the No. 12 doubles team.

"We're going to come out with a lot of energy to start off and see if we can get the doubles point," said UA senior Whi Kim.

UCLA (9-4) carries two ranked doubles teams, along with five individually ranked players, led by No. 6 Tobias Clemens, who defeated Kim in their last meeting 7-5, 6-2.

"Last time we played them at home, we were short two guys, and we fought hard," Kim said. "They're going to be ready. I think they're going to be ready more this time than the first time we played them."

"We learned that we can't sit and wait for a good team like that to beat themselves," Berkowitz said. "If we're going to beat a team like UCLA and we have the opportunity to win the match, we need to take advantage of it. We can't sit back and hope for good players to miss shots."

One of the Wildcats' strengths this season has been their tremendous depth. Five players have won more than 10 matches, with sophomore Roger Matalonga leading the way (16 wins).

"I think we're interchangeable," Kim said. "Anybody on a good day can play one for us, and if you're struggling, you can play six."

"This year the chemistry is great, and I know that the guys pull for each other," Berkowitz said. "I think this year is different from years past because each player that steps on the court - the guys believe that each guy can win, and they trust each other."

Arizona's ranking has given the team more confidence. The Wildcats are coming off wins against California and San Diego.

"It's good to see. It's where we should be," Kim said.

"It's a great accomplishment for the guys," Berkowitz said. "I know they're excited about the ranking. We try to talk about not paying a whole lot of attention to the rankings, but this accomplishment is somewhat unique."