The Penn State men's tennis team will be counting on the strong play of three senior leaders to take the step to reach a new level this season.

That step is making the NCAA team tournament, a feat that has not been achieved since the 1998 spring season.

After a strong fall season, the Nittany Lions are ranked among the top four teams in the East. However, the real challenge will come with league play in the Big Ten conference later this season. Advancing to the second round of the Big Ten tournament for the second time in two years last season was still not enough to vault the Lions into the national tournament.

"It's one of the premier conferences in the country," Penn State men's tennis coach Jan Bortner said. "It's a whole new level of competition."

To reach the NCAA tournament, the Lions will have to make it into the top 50 in the national rankings.

For the last few seasons, Penn State has been hovering around the 60th best squad.

The improvement will not come easily, however, as the Lions must face many strong teams, including last year's national champions, Illinois.

Ohio State is also a heavyweight in the stacked Big Ten conference. Non-conference games against eastern powers Virginia Tech and Cornell could be good tests for a team with championship aspirations.

"We've been falling just short," Bortner said. "We need to step up another level for a higher ranking."

The three seniors, all multiple-year starters who will be looked toward to push the team to the next level are Roddy Cantey, Clint Keithly and Todd Stecko. All three will play huge roles for the team, competing in both singles and doubles events.

Cantey and Keithly are paired as the first doubles team and have solid career doubles records, posting a combined 49-42 record.

However, the pairing is just starting to click, earning a 10-11 record when paired together.

The trio must provide veteran leadership as well as points on the court, which should be no problem as all three have been starting since their freshman seasons.

Keithly, who will graduate after this season, also participated in the 2003 NCCA Leadership Conference.

Rounding out the starting lineup for the Lions are sophomores Mark Barry and Malcolm Scatliffe. Both are young, but still bring experience, having earned spots on last year's starting squad. A strong freshman class brings in three solid contributors, including standout Ryan Berger, whose strong play last fall has earned him a starting spot.

"Aaron Ellis and Bradley Hunter are both capable freshmen; they still have to knock some guys out to get in the starting lineup," Bortner said.

The team is ready, the lineups are set, and only time will tell if the mix of experience and youth is the right formula to achieve the goal of a berth into the NCAA tournament.