On Sunday, April 22nd, I went to see the Japan Men's Volleyball Team's Red vs. White game, held in Satsumasendai City, Kagoshima Prefecture. Just before the event, Yanagida, who had returned from Germany, joined the team, so I was worried that it would be crowded with female fans again, but when I arrived at the venue, it wasn't as crowded as I had expected, and instead there were many local people and children.
The participants are as follows:
Red Team
S: Fukatsu
OP: Nishida
WS: Asano, Fukuzawa, Yanagita
MB: Onodera, Yamauchi
L: Ide
White Team
S: Oya
OP: Ogawa, Deshita
WS: Takano, Takamatsu, Kuhara
MB: Sato, Fushimi, Lee
L: Inoue
The game consisted of four sets, all of which were won by the Red team.
Below, I'd like to introduce some of the players that caught my eye in this Red vs. White game.
Nishida Yuji (Opposite/JTEKT)
I haven't seen him since last year's All Japan High School Selection Tournament. He had a particularly strong presence then, and that hasn't changed on the All Japan stage, where he was a big hit with his spikes and serves. At 186cm tall, he's quite short for an opposite, but his jumping ability, sharpness, and skill make that seem small. He also seems to be able to pass (receive serves), so that adds to his options. Personally, I think he's the player closest to being a starting opposite now that Shimizu is gone.
Tsubasa Kuhara (Wing spiker/ Panasonic)
When I first saw him in college, I got the impression that he was a defensive expert, but it seems that he is steadily growing into an all-rounder who can also impress on the offensive side. In particular, I thought he calmly dealt with three-man blocks during high sets, such as taking one-touch or block-outs. I would also like to see him show his presence with his serve. In the future, I hope he will become a well-balanced player with high levels of offense and defense, like Italian national team player Lanza.
Shunichiro Sato (Middle blocker/3rd year at Tohoku High School)
In terms of blocking, he seemed a little slow against attacks from the middle, but he seemed to be able to keep up with side attacks. He also showed some powerful spikes and seemed to be able to move nimbly for a large Japanese player, so I'm really looking forward to his future. Maybe he'll be in the starting lineup for the national team at the Tokyo Olympics.
I can't wait to see it in an external match!!
That's it!!!
English 
Japanese