Spencer Johnson looked down at the ball in his hand.

A trip to the NCAA quarterfinals was on the line, and it was his serve.

Serving comes easily for the sophomore, though.

Johnson’s ability to succeed from beyond the service line propelled him to seismic heights in the world of tennis, where he has amassed All-American honors, a Big Ten title and a Pac-12 Newcomer of the Year award.

It also led him to adventures far away from the sport he had played all his life.

Johnson was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado, the youngest of five children. His family moved to Utah when he was four, where he lived throughout high school.

Johnson’s passion for tennis was homegrown.

His father, Joey Johnson – who played collegiate tennis and later coached the sport at the high school, college and tour levels – introduced him to the game. Joey said his son realized his passion for tennis by the time he was 10 years old.

“He sat down with me and he goes, ‘Dad, I want to talk to you,’” Joey said. “He looked me right in the eye and said, ‘Hey, if I really commit to tennis, will you make me your top priority?’”

Joey began training his son daily, working on fundamentals and techniques.

But Spencer’s parents’ impact extended beyond the court.

Joey said that his dedication to the Christian faith as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints gave him direction and strengthened his marriage. He added that he and his wife imparted that faith to Spencer and his siblings.

“Growing up, my parents always tried to teach me about Jesus,” Spencer said. “I didn’t really start personally grasping it until I was a senior in high school.”

Spencer said the concept of service was emphasized in his religion and household.

He saw its importance in action with his mother, who supports people who have experienced sexual abuse. He also witnessed each of his siblings embark on mission service trips customary for post-high school Latter-day Saints youth.

As Spencer excelled on the tennis court in high school, a decision loomed ahead – whether to embark on a mission trip after graduation and delay enrollment or play collegiate tennis directly following his senior season.

“It’s optional to go,” Sepencer said. “But I felt like it would be an experience I’d wish I had because my siblings had gone, and I was able to see them change and learn a lot, and that’s something I wanted too. I felt like I needed to go.”

In the tennis world, it was a major gamble.

Many schools told Spencer he could not delay his enrollment if he wanted to play for them.

But UCLA coach Billy Martin said he would let Spencer go on his trip and would re-evaluate his offer in two years.

And Johnson made the decision to pursue his mission trip – a two-year journey spent doing service projects in an Argentinian community and spreading his faith.

Only after completing those goals would he return to UCLA to resume his athletic career. Time in Neuquén, Argentina, prompted new and challenging experiences for Spencer, including learning a new language and understanding cultural nuances.

But the Utah teen reveled in the thrill of a good test.

“I’d spend time learning Spanish, get a little time to work out early in the morning,” Spencer said. “We’d go to people’s homes and teach their families about Jesus Christ. So it was kind of the same thing almost every day for two years – all day was just teaching people. … It was very long days, but I loved it.”

Throughout the trip, Spencer helped people with their day-to-day routine and assisted them in tending their land and building homes.

Spencer was confident that he was on the right path and that the experience was the most important of his life. He added that he even had a few moments on this trip that he believed were signs of validation from God.

But for the first time since he was ten years old, Johnson wasn’t playing tennis on a regular basis.

“I was able to detach my identity away from tennis,” Spencer said. “I realized my identity should be that I’m a son of God. … It’s helped me almost work harder at my tennis because this is something I do and I enjoy rather than who I am.”

Spencer returned home with an appreciation for his new experiences and a renewed hunger to play the sport that he loved his entire life.

For Martin, any worries about Spencer’s readiness and commitment to UCLA men’s tennis after a two-year hiatus were eased almost immediately.

“I can’t tell you how hard he worked from about the end of May till September, when he started with us,” Martin said. “That was very impressive to me. I realized he had lost no desire whatsoever to want to play the sport and to excel the best he could.”

There was virtually no adjustment period for Johnson once his freshman season started, and he went on to win Pac-12 Freshman of the Year.

This season, Johnson battled through an elbow stress fracture that sidelined him for 10 weeks. During this time, he said he relied on his faith to overcome the frustration and focused on uplifting his teammates.

The injured sophomore instructed teammates on the practice court and led pre-game visualizations and prayers. He added that he wanted to affect the team with his presence, even while absent from the court.

“If you’re leading, you’re serving and helping the people that are around you,” Spencer said. “I’ve gotten a little better at giving grace to people I’m with if something doesn’t go our way.”

Spencer’s journey serving his faith brought him to the forefront of the NCAA super regional, with a quarterfinal berth hanging in the balance. All the pressure was on him.

After months of rehab, his elbow had healed, and UCLA’s fate now rested on it.

“Spencer’s at his best when the knife is at his neck,” Joey said. “When he’s got to perform, when he knows he’s got to make it happen, he has a place he can go to.”

It was a moment that many would consider legacy-defining for a player of Spencer’s caliber.

But for the sophomore, who prided himself on serving on and off the court, it was nothing out of the ordinary.

And he dialed up one more successful serve.