On the third day of the second week of the Nations League, the Japanese men's volleyball team played against Brazil and won 3-2 (25-23, 25-21, 18-25, 22-25, 18-16). After the match, we asked Japan's outside hitter, Ai Takahashi, to give us some comments.
-How was today's game?
Takahashi: We really came here for this day, or rather to beat Brazil, and of course Brazil was without some (main) Real Madrid players, but beating Brazil like this has really boosted our confidence, and today's results showed that Japanese volleyball can definitely compete with the top teams, so I think this is a good step for Japan to take next.
--This is Japan's first victory against Brazil in an official match in 30 years. How does that feel?
Takahashi: Wow, I think it's really amazing. But this is not the goal, so we have to use this as motivation to improve our level even more, and it was a really good performance for Japan, and of course some players showed their issues, and of course there were things I still need to strive for myself in this match, and I once again felt that I need to always strive for the last serve and to get that one point there, so it was a match where we really saw our issues. But we won despite that, so I really want to praise our play.
-While many players struggled at times in this match, Takahashi's stability in his play stood out. How did you maintain your concentration and quality of play during such a long, tough match?
Takahashi: We really did win the first and second sets well, and Japan had a really good rhythm, but the atmosphere changed from the third set onwards, and of course Brazil wasn't going to let us take it so easily, so I was mentally prepared for that. Even if we lost the third and fourth sets, I had the image of winning the fifth set, so it was really important for me to stay focused and play what I could at the time, and what I had to do as my job at that time, so I really kept my spirits up from the third set onwards, and although there were times when I lost focus a little, I was always conscious of not missing any chances, so I think that's what led to that kind of stability.
-The opposing team, Brazil, had a setter named Fernando, who you will be playing with at Monza in the Italian League next season. What was your impression of him?
Takahashi: He's really good. I'm really looking forward to playing with Fernando, and I'm also really looking forward to playing with top-level players like Schwartz from Canada in the Italian season. I'd like to look forward to that when the season starts, but as I communicate with the next players I'll be playing with during the game, I've realized once again that we can work hard together and that the world is expanding. First of all, I'll focus on the Japanese national team, and then I'm looking forward to playing with top-level players again, and I'd like to improve my level here so that I can continue to play at that level, and then I'd like to welcome the Italian season again.
How to watch Nations League 2023
All Japan matches in the Nations League 2023 will be broadcast live on BS-TBS,U-NEXTandVolley TVBut it's being broadcast live.
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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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