In the third match of the second half of the Italian men's volleyball league Serie A, 11th-placed Padova, where Takahashi Ai plays, played against 6th-placed Cisterna at home on Sunday, January 8th local time, and won 3-2 (17-25, 19-25, 25-21, 25-20, 15-12).
After the match, Padova's Takahashi Ai gave us a comment.
-How do you feel looking back on today's game?
Takahashi: I think there were many things I couldn't do from the first set. Like kill blocks. I realized today that I need to be more particular about that to get the team going. But I was able to fix that mentally and start playing my own game again from the third set, which is good for the next game, and I really feel like this is an area where I'm growing.
-After the third set, it seemed like not only Takahashi but the whole team changed drastically. What made that happen?
Takahashi: I think the whole team was thinking, "If we keep going like this..." It's the same no matter which team we're playing against, but we had a strong feeling that we were losing the first half because we were playing against Cisterna. But playing here at home, we realized that we have the strength to fight even more, so the whole team was really aware of the points we need to score and how to maintain this kind of atmosphere. I think it was because we had the feeling that we were playing against Cisterna today that we felt that we had to win from the third set onwards.
--Today, I had the impression that your spikes were hitting in a straighter direction than usual. Were you conscious of that course?
Takahashi: Of course, I could see that Cisterna was conscious of my data and was tightening up the crosses (with blocks), so I decided to go against that and increase the number of lines myself. When I started to tighten the lines, the number of crosses increased at the end, which was very unpleasant for the opponent, and the fact that things didn't go according to the data, which I think also contributed to our victory. So today, I consciously increased the number of lines because I knew they would be tightening up the crosses.
-In this game, fellow outside hitter Asparuhov (Bulgaria) came in as a substitute and showed a great performance, winning the MVP award. What do you think was the reason he was able to perform so well today, despite having been on the bench most of the time up until this point?
Takahashi: I knew that he had great potential and ability. In the first match of this league against Modena and in the match against Roubaix, ASPA inspired the team, which is why we won. I honestly wasn't surprised by ASPA's play today because I knew that, and ASPA himself came on in the middle of the match with the feeling that he could do it and was able to show his ability, which I think gave ASPA a lot of confidence, and I think it gave the team a lot of momentum. I think today's match made us realize that we need to be more aware of ASPA's own abilities and their strengths, and that we need to let ASPA show their strengths more.
Today in Japan, the Spring High Volleyball Tournament finals were held, and in the boys' final, Sundai Gakuen came back from a 0-2 deficit to win, just like this match.
Takahashi: Well, the Spring High was also amazing. I was watching Higashiyama (my alma mater), and I really think that the last point, or rather the concentration at the end and the strength to get the points, is very important. Today, Gardini scored a service ace at the end, which was a part of us getting the points at the end and led to victory, but I think that being able to show your strength at the very end, or the ability to get the points, is something that really doesn't change in any category or high school student.
-You were able to celebrate your first game of 2023 with a brilliant victory, but what kind of year do you want 2023 to be from here on out?
Takahashi: Of course, I have goals for the future, but first of all, I want to be selected for the Japanese national team, and I need to grow in all aspects, including my play, ability, and mentality, during this period (at the club), so winning this first match, the first match of 2023, has given me a lot of momentum, and I want to gain confidence in the way I am growing little by little. Of course, I think there will be obstacles, but I want to make this a year where I can enjoy hitting obstacles and overcome them to become even stronger, so it's great when things go well, but I think the growth that comes from overcoming them when things don't go well is amazing. Without that, it's not fun for me, and I want to enjoy it more when things don't go well. In 2023, I want to gain experience in Italy, win games in Padua, Italy, and aim for the final, so that I can play an active role in the national team and become a core player for the team, but I also want to keep my sights on my own growth one by one.
Photo: Author
English 
Japanese