For only the fourth time in its history, the Penn State men's tennis team earned a berth in the NCAA Men's Tennis Championship yesterday, and will face defending national champion Pepperdine. The Nittany Lions earned the No. 42 seed, and will head to Los Angeles, Calif., for their first round match to be held Friday, May 11.

"It is exciting for our guys and our program to receive an NCAA bid," head coach Todd Doebler said. "We are going to have a tall task facing the 2006 champion Waves. Pepperdine is a very talented team that has had some big wins this year. We are looking forward to playing them."

The announcement comes only days after Penn State (16-6, 6-4) fell in the first round of the Big Ten tournament, losing to Wisconsin, 4-0.

Although the team saw its conference tournament appearance cut short, the Lions achieved their most successful season since joining the Big Ten in 1992. The team boasted a 6-4 conference record, the best ever for Penn State, and finished fourth in the Big Ten, also a new high.

"It's so huge for Penn State to make the tournament in back to back years," sophomore Adam Slagter said. "I think the key is to come out and work really hard, and that's what I plan to do to make sure that this team achieves success."

This marks the second time that Penn State has earned NCAA berths in back to back seasons. In 1997-98, the Lions achieved consecutive appearances in the NCAA tournament, and in 1998 earned their first win by upsetting Columbia in the first round.

"I think all of us want the pressure," Slagter said. "We want the ball in the big situations, and we all want the chance to win the set, and get the opportunity to bring home the win."

Doebler has a successful past with Pepperdine, where he helped turn around the Waves' program in a short time. In 2001-02, Doebler served as an assistant, and guided the Waves to a West Coast Conference title, and a No. 5 final ranking in the national polls.

"It's going to be fun coaching against my old team," Doebler said. "What's interesting is that the Pepperdine coach is a Penn State alum, so it's kind of like we have a big connection. To be playing Pepperdine who won the NCAA's last year will be tough, but I'm really looking forward to going out there and seeing what we can do."

Doebler is aware that this may be the final match of the Lions' season, stressing the importance of going out and giving their best effort, but also never forgetting to have a good time.

"The biggest thing this time of year is to have fun," Doebler said.

"Academics may get in the way for these guys, so it's important that they stay focused and give it all they've got."