It won’t be much of a surprise in Surprise, Ariz., this week if the Hawaii Pacific University men’s tennis team emerges with a national championship.

HPU, which opens the NCAA Division II tournament against St. Edward’s (Texas) on Wednesday, is 21-0 and ranked No. 1 in the nation. Not bad for a school that doesn’t even have its own tennis facility.

And these are some hungry Sharks.

Six of them are returnees from last year’s team that was also undefeated … for 23 matches, right up to the championship finals, in which they fell to West Florida.

Despite a roster of nine players from six countries, this is a tight team, coach Hendrik Bode said. Not tight as in stressed out and worried about losing, but tight like a family.

"A few actually knew each other in Germany," said Bode, who is from there himself. "But it’s a very multicultural team. They all understand and respect each other. It’s been a learning experience, a good one for everyone."

Bode is a former HPU star player and recently was awarded his third consecutive PacWest Coach of the Year honor after the Sharks won their third straight conference crown. He is also the West Regional COY for the third time in four years.

He hasn’t had to and doesn’t expect to tinker much with his lineup this week.

PacWest Newcomer of the Year Marko Lenz from Germany went 18-0 at No. 1 singles and 18-3 in doubles. Frenchman Thibaud Berland was 14-2 in singles at No. 2, and is HPU’s MVP thanks to a top ranking in the nation in doubles with partner and countryman Yann Renault.

"We’ve just trusted our players and the work they put in," Bode said. "There’s absolutely no reason for us to change anything."

According to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings, No. 2 Barry (13-0) and the nemesis from last year, No. 3 West Florida (22-2), are the biggest obstacles in HPU’s path.

For Bode, a championship would be not just for this team, but for the entire HPU program and the state. He is all in, and calls Hawaii home after arriving by a fluke 10 years ago. He was set to enroll at Middle Tennessee State, but fell a couple of points short on a qualifying exam for Division I.

"Of course, I was disappointed," he said. "I was pretty much set and hadn’t looked at other options. Middle Tennessee State had a very good program, ranked top 20 for D-I, and a good friend was there.

"But once I found out I was going to Hawaii, the disappointment was gone. I liked it right away," he said.

He has the Sharks performing at peak efficiency. But if he does need any coaching advice, he’s got plenty of ears to bend; his wife (and mother of their 6-month-old daughter, Lana) is HPU women’s coach Lauren Conching, and HPU athletic director Vince Baldemor played college tennis at DePaul.

"He’s there for us," Bode said of Baldemor. "He does a lot of the annoying little jobs and is very supportive. Last year, our first-round match didn’t start until midnight, but he was still there, making sure our players were taken care of."

Indeed, their isn’t much broken for the Sharks to fix. Just that finals outcome from last year.