One head coach played at Penn State, the other coached at Pepperdine.

When the Penn State men's tennis team faces Pepperdine on May 11 in the NCAA 2007 Division I Men's Tennis Team Championship in Los Angeles, it will be a reunion for both Penn State coach Todd Doebler and Pepperdine coach Adam Steinberg.

Doebler served as an assistant coach for the Waves in 2001 and 2002, while Steinberg played for the Lions from 1985-88 and was a student-assistant coach for two years at Penn State.

"It's a pretty interesting sub-story," Doebler said. "But I see it as exciting for our team to play Pepperdine, a team with a rich history of tennis."

The Waves were the national champions last year. This year, ranked No. 20, Pepperdine won the West Coast Conference tournament and had wins over No. 11 Texas and No. 16 Florida State.

But Penn State (16-6, 6-4 Big Ten) is coming off a national tournament appearance as well. Last year, in their first NCAA tournament since 1998, the No. 45 Lions fell to No. 21 University of Washington, 4-2, in the first round.

The Lions completed their most successful season in Big Ten history.

They had six conference wins, an all-time record for Penn State. They also had several big wins, including a 4-3 victory over then-No. 21 Michigan.

"I know the excitement that comes with the NCAA tournament," senior co-captain Bradley Hunter said.

"It's just coming down to how hard we compete and getting those crucial points."

If the Lions knock off the Waves, they would face the winner of the USC vs. Cal-Santa Barbara match.

For Hunter, there's a little extra incentive. After the first two rounds are played in Los Angeles, the tournament moves to Athens, Ga., which is one hour away from Hunter's Atlanta home.

"If we were to pull off two wins, that'd be real special," Hunter said.

He added that to beat the Waves, the Lions needed a special effort from him and his teammates along with stepping up in doubles play.

In all of the Lions' six losses, they have failed to get the doubles point.

A win over Pepperdine could set a new standard for the program, as Penn State has only one win in the NCAA tournament, a 4-1 win over Columbia in 1998.

"We're all real ecstatic," Hunter said.

"It's one of those opportunities where we could push this program to new heights."