On the second day of the second week of the Nations League, the Japanese men's volleyball team played against Cuba and won 3-0 (25-21, 25-16, 25-21). After the match, we asked Japan's outside hitter, Ai Takahashi, to give us some comments.
-How was today's game?
Takahashi: I think we played really well in winning 3-0 against Cuba. Of course, they were a strong offensive team, so we were able to break them down with our serves, and I think there were some moments where we could have broken them down with our serves, but we also made some mistakes, so I think that's something we need to fix, and that's something we need to work on today. First of all, I think it was great that we were able to win 3-0.
-You were the team's best scorer today with 14 points, but what do you think was the reason you were able to perform better than usual today?
Takahashi: Yes, I'm doing it the same as always, always being conscious of performing at a high level, but today was different from yesterday in that the pipes, the combination with Sekita, and my own hit points and sense were all really good. I'm good at pipes myself, and I started with the pipes, so I think I was able to create a good rhythm from there and play even better.
-There was a big play at one point that could be considered a fake set under the court. What was the situation like at the time?
Takahashi: I didn't really think about it, but it was a moment when I really needed a break, and it was my serve, so it was very important whether I could get the break or not. Of course, I was going for an overhand at first, but it was a little bit related to the toss, so an underhand was the best option, so I instantly changed it to an underhand fake set and handed it over to Nishida.
--Tomorrow's match will be against Brazil. What do you think will be the key points of the game?
Takahashi: I think it's going to be a battle for side-outs. As is the case with us, there are many players who really hit the serve strongly, and as was the case with Cuba today, they made a lot of mistakes, so I wouldn't say that Brazil is a team that makes a lot of mistakes, but they are a team that consistently gets good serves, so if we can't get side-outs, we'll give the other team a break, and we won't be able to get our rhythm, and we'll always be in a difficult situation, so I think it's really important to work hard on the side-outs, and the key will be how well we can keep the side-outs and keep the breaks going.
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Photo: Author
Photo book "CATCH ××× DREAM" featuring Ryujin Nippon's three players Ishikawa, Takahashi, and Nishida will be released on June 5th! ↓
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