On Monday, August 25th, the qualifying round for the 2025 Women's Volleyball World Championship (World Volleyball) was held, with Japan facing Ukraine in Pool H. Japan came from behind to defeat Ukraine 3-2 (25-27, 20-25, 25-20, 26-24, 15-11).
After the match, Volleyball World commentator Clayton Lucas interviewed Ferhat Akbaş, head coach of the Japanese women's national volleyball team.
Clayton: Great job. First, let me check your knee. You were sliding on the court, lol. And your team was playing some great volleyball towards the end of the game.
Akbash: I still have a few spare pairs of pants so I can change them (if the knees get worn out). Thanks to our sponsors haha.
I would especially like to thank Wada and (Sato) Yoshino. They fought very hard despite their injuries. And of course, I would also like to thank our team leaders (Ishikawa) Mayu and (Seki) Sena. I think we are a team that deserved this comeback victory. It was a really tough match, but it was a great comeback.
Getting an opportunity like this in a tournament like this can sometimes bring better results (than just winning), so I'll use the lessons I learned here to prepare for the next match.
Clayton: I think you're in a good position with your wins so far (you've advanced to the final tournament). With that in mind, you might be able to rest Wada and Yoshino for the next match.
Akbaş: Unfortunately, these decisions have to be made day by day. We will have to check again tomorrow and the day after (the day of the match). We will take all the circumstances into account. I can't say at this point which players we can rest, but we will do our best in this matter.
Coach Akbaş is originally from Türkiye, and his intense courtside movements during games that put the players to shame have been a hot topic.
Commentator Clayton has also become popular in certain circles by using unique terms such as "Kaiju Block" and "Okonomiyaki," especially during games against Japan.
Japan's next match will be against Serbia on Wednesday, August 27th at 7:00 PM.
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Photo: Volleyball World
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