The legacy of the men's volleyball team since 1981 reads like this: seven NCAA Final Four appearances, one second-place finish, four third-place finishes and one fourth-place finish.

And this weekend, some of the people who helped build Penn State into one of the nation's best volleyball programs will return as an alumni team to take on the Lions' 1992 squad.

"It's a good opportunity to hear some stories and understand from where Penn State volleyball has come," said Assistant Coach Mark Pavlik, a 1982 Penn State graduate.

Exactly which alumni players will participate this year has not been fully determined, but Pavlik said that several routinely make the trip back to their alma mater for the alumni match.

Tom Hahn and John Phillips are two of the older alumni that Pavlik expects to see. Both were first team All-Americans in 1976.

Another former first team All-American who is expected is Steve Hunkins, a member of the 1982 team that finished second in the nation. Hunkins will be joined by his former teammate Bruce Van Horn.

Since 1976, Penn State has placed 10 different players on the three All-American teams, with seven named to the first team. Javier Gaspar, a 1988 graduate, is one of two national players currently competing for the starting setter position on the 1992 U.S. Olympic squad.

Other Lion alumni whom Pavlik expects include Carey Seavy, Frank Guadagnino and Mike Borden.

The alumni game was first played in 1976. The undergraduate squads have normally come out on top, said Pavlik, but some matches have been close.

Scoring will not be the typical best of five games format that the NCAA uses. Five to seven games will be played and everyone will get time on the court.

"We mix up the lineups, older alumni play younger players and stronger lineups go against each other," Pavlik said.

There will also be unlimited substitution for the alumni squad -- or "unlimited oxygen," as Pavlik joked.

Coach Tom Peterson said the weekend also serves as another look at the players still vying for starting positions on the current squad. With regular NCAA play set to begin Jan. 24, the starting lineup has not yet been determined.

"We've been pretty deep these last two years as far as talent goes," Peterson said.

But the weekend is also a time for current players to meet those who made the program what it is today.

"Our current crop of players came away telling stories that they had heard (after last year's alumni match)," Pavlik said.

Pavlik recalled the days before the team's rise to national prominence and its acquiring of a Mizuno sponsorship. Those were days when players crammed into vans for road matches and would, if possible, stay at players' homes rather than hotels.

"The current players realize it's not just them that are Penn State volleyball. They play for these guys from throughout the years, not just themselves," Pavlik said.