You step up to the baseline. You shield your eyes and grimace at the sun. Grip the racket, throw the ball in the air and slam it down, watching in dismay as the ball hits the net. Second ball, just tap it over. This is all in the life of a member of the PVHS tennis team. 

Tennis originated in the 1870s, which was actually called Sphairistikè, which is Greek for “playing ball’’. They originally started playing on an hourglass-shaped court, with rackets and cloth balls. Tennis has evolved to what we play today. 

The rules are simple: You step up to the baseline, and you have two attempts to serve. If it doesn’t go over either time, it’s the other team’s point, and you switch sides to serve again. After successfully serving, you just keep returning until someone makes a mistake; misses the ball, hits the net, or hits it out. The point system is as follows: love all, 15, 30, 40, deuces, add-in, or add-out. Love all is when it’s at zero-zero. Add-in is after deuces (which is 40 – 40) where the serving team is one point away from winning after deuces. Add out is when the serving team is losing after deuces.

The coach of the PVHS Tennis Team is Michael Dela Rosa, who got his love of tennis from playing the sport while in the Air Force. He was stationed in Greece and practiced while there. After he returned from the Air Force, he became the coach at PVHS. He loves tennis and wanted to be able to share his love with students. 

The coach has two daughters, both of which are on the team: Mikayla and Veronica Dela Rosa. Veronica is the girls’ team captain and joined back when it was still a club. She enjoys the many memories she’s made on the team and is sad to have to leave after this year. There are all kinds of players on the team: sophomores, juniors, boys and girls, seniors, and freshmen. One of those freshmen is Maya Rasmussen. She joined the tennis team because she likes playing tennis and was delighted when she found out about the tennis team. She enjoys the many friendships she’s made while on the team. Maya joined this year.

As of right now, the PVHS Tennis Team has gotten two wins, one loss, and one tie. The team has 5 more games to go before the season is over. They practice Monday through Friday, from 2 to 5. The team is in need of one more girl player, so if you are interested, contact Coach Dela Rosa at [email protected], or come to practice at the listed times above.