Yeah, I spent too much time this morning mastering this (thanks for sharing!). For me the key was realizing that - unlike most modern platformer controls - jump

Yeah, I spent too much time this morning mastering this (thanks for sharing!). For me the key was realizing that - unlike most modern platformer controls - jump height isn't affected by the length of the key press. So you can quick tap jump, then use the direction keys to aim your spikes. The ground-dive is also quite useful. Once you grasp these controls, you stand a chance. Once you master them, the AI becomes trivial to beat by this method: When serving, jump and perform a horizontal spike at the apex. The AI will defend it, then reliably do his own horizontal spike from the backcourt. Meet it at the net and spike it diagonally downwards. Works every time! And now I can rest (work).