The Stanford men’s tennis team heads to Arizona this weekend for two non-conference matches. The No. 32 Cardinal will take on the Wildcats today followed by a showdown in Tempe against Arizona State on Saturday. Though Stanford is playing two Pac-10 opponents, the matches will not affect the Pac-10 standings of either team.

Though the Sun Devils and Wildcats are not highly ranked, there are certain aspects of the road trip that the Cardinal must take into account. The desert generally makes for a tough road trip for Stanford; the team will be playing matches in the heat, at high altitudes and on tough courts.

“It’s always a difficult trip every year we go there,” said head coach John Whitlinger. “It’s a great road trip that every team needs.”

Freshman Alex Clayton remained the No. 2 player in the nation in the most recent ITA rankings released earlier this week. Junior Matt Bruch, meanwhile, ranks in at No. 76, while sophomore Richard Wire ranks No. 85 in the country.

Clayton leads the team with a 17-4 singles record, followed by Wire at 14-8. Wire and freshman Greg Hirshman — though they play in the No. 3 spot — are Stanford’s top doubles team with a 13-5 record this year.

Stanford is coming off a 5-2 victory over rival California last Tuesday after a top-notch performance. The Cardinal has also won the doubles point in five straight matches and, consequently, has taken home the trophy in four of those matches. Last year, Stanford earned a split on the road in Arizona, taking the match from the Wildcats before falling to Arizona State.

This year, No. 26 Arizona State is a perfect 7-0. No. 49 Andres Arango leads the Sun Devils with a 5-2 singles record on the year at the No. 2 singles spot. The duo of Matt Brooklyn and T.J. Bellama is currently ranked No. 31 in the nation. Brooklyn and John Nanosky II are undefeated in singles play this year at the No. 1 and No. 6 spots, respectively.

Arizona State has only beaten Stanford twice in its history, with one of those wins coming last year, a 6-1 upset in Tempe.

“Arizona State plays very well at home,” Whitlinger said.

No. 36 Arizona is led by the doubles duo of Jay Goldman and Claudio Christen, ranked No. 48 in the nation. The Wildcats, meanwhile, are currently 10-2 on the season; the No. 36 ranking is the highest for the program in three years.

“Arizona has a pretty good team,” Whitlinger said. “It’s something we [have to] be ready for — don’t take them for granted.”

Stanford looks to continue a two-match win streak with wins against the Arizona schools this weekend. If the Cardinal can compete the way it did in its recent wins against Boise State and Cal, the team should be able to come out of the desert with two wins.

“I like where we are at as a team right now,” said Whitlinger. “The roll we [have] going — we [have to] keep it going.

“A couple of wins in Arizona will set us in the right direction.”