On the fifth day of the first week of the Nations League, the Japan men's volleyball team played against Bulgaria and won 3-0 (25-22, 25-21, 26-24).
First set starting lineup
Japan
OH: Ai Takahashi, Ishikawa
MB: Onodera, Takahashi Kentaro
OP: Nishida
S: Sekita
L: Yamamoto
Bulgaria
OH: Atanasov, Nikolov
MB: Korev, Grozdanov
OP: Dimitrov
S: Seganov
L: Bozhilov
*Positions: OH = outside hitter, MB = middle blocker, OP = opposite, S = setter, L = libero
The stats for this match areHere
Match Report
In the first set, Bulgaria took a 5-7 lead with a spike from OH Nikolov, but Japan turned the game around with four consecutive breaks, including a spike from OP Nishida and a block from MB Takahashi, to take the lead 10-7. From there, Japan maintained a 20-16 lead with a spike from OH Takahashi and other points, heading into the final stages. Bulgaria also closed the gap to 1 point at 20-19 with a service ace from OP Asparuhov, who entered the match midway, but in the end, Japan won the set 25-22 with a quick hit from MB Onodera.
In the second set, Japan took a 5-2 lead with consecutive points from spikes and service aces by OH Ishikawa, but OH Atanasov's spikes and others tied the score at 8-8 with Bulgaria. From there, both teams focused on side attacks and scored side outs to advance to 21-20. At this point, Japan brought in OH Kai as a relief server, and OH Takahashi and others scored spikes from powerful serves to quickly grab the set point at 24-20. And at the end, OH Takahashi blocked the ball that was returned directly to Japan, smashing it down and winning the set 25-21.
In the third set, both teams kept fighting at the beginning, and the score went up to 8-8. From there, consecutive spikes from OH Ishikawa and OP Nishida gave Japan an advantage at 11-8, but Bulgaria scored consecutive points with blocks and spikes from MB Grozdanov, turning the game around to 15-16, and Japan started to chase from there. After that, Japan took the lead again at 20-18 with Bulgaria's teamwork mistakes and a service ace from OH Ishikawa, but Bulgaria also took the lead again at 21-22 with consecutive service aces from relief server MB Petkov, and the game went to deuce. However, in the end, OP Nishida and OH Ishikawa scored spikes from Japan's solid defense, and Japan turned the game around again to 26-24, taking the set and winning 3-0 in straight sets against Bulgaria.
With this, Japan's overall record in the VNL qualifying round now stands at 3 wins and 9 points from 3 matches.
personal MVP
Japan: OH Ishikawa Yuki
17 points (3 on serve, 2 on block), attack effectiveness rate 33%, serve reception success rate 56%
I was very hesitant, but I chose Ishikawa. Not only did he score the most points, but he also changed the flow with his serve at the end of the third set, and he also picked up about half of the opponent's serves with a success rate of 56%, and he also had the most digs on the team with 9, and he also had 2 blocks, so his defensive performance was outstanding. Also, I thought it was really cool that he was able to take the match point in that close match, and show his strong determination to "get that last point," which he was unable to do in last year's World Championship match against France. That's just what I would expect.
Runner-up: Ai Takahashi (10 points, attack effectiveness rate 77%)
Bulgaria: OH Aleksandar Nikolov
13 points (1 on serve), attack effectiveness rate 33%
Even though he was only 19 years old, his scoring skills were astonishing. He had outstanding height and power. His serve reception, which was an issue, didn't break down much even though he was heavily targeted. However, his serves didn't run very well in this match, and he made a mistake at a crucial moment at the end of the second set, which was a shame.
Thoughts etc.
I thought Bulgaria would try a little harder, but before I knew it, Japan had won in straight sets.
In addition to Captain Ishikawa mentioned above, Ai Takahashi was in top form with zero attack losses and an amazing attack effectiveness rate of 77%. In the match against Serbia, he was a little more noticeable in his attack losses, but he corrected that problem the next day. This player really has a high ability to correct himself. Also, after scoring a pipe attack in the third set, he went into the Bulgarian court and touched his former teammate Asparuhov, which was kind of heartwarming. Their faces weren't on camera, but I'm sure they were both grinning (laughs).
It was also amazing to see the two of them going head-to-head when they matched up on spikes and blocks. I think they had fun being on the field and really going head-to-head on this stage. If you follow the club team, it's really fun to watch these battles between teammates.
As for Japan, I was particularly impressed with their blocking in today's match. Looking at the actual numbers, they managed to prevent a lot of attacks from the tall Bulgarian team, with five block points and 17 block touches that led to rallies. It's probably thanks to the system and data that they were able to use their blocks as a weapon, even though they're small. It's really amazing.
The performance of the players who came in as substitutes was also outstanding. In the first set, Otsuka, who replaced Nishida in the S1 rotation, showed his craftsmanship by cutting a side-out with his own spike, and in the second set, Kai made consecutive breaks with good serves, deciding the outcome of the second set. Tomita, who came in as a backcourt player, also did a good job.
Today was another team win.
On the other hand, Bulgaria has many really strong players, and Nikolov and Asparuhov, who joined in the middle of the game, were really phenomenal, but they made a lot of wasteful mistakes, such as free ball passing mistakes, matchmaking, and in-out mistakes. On the other hand, if they hadn't made those mistakes, they would have won at least one set. In particular, I wanted Asparuhov to try harder, as I've been watching him play in Padua all this season. But personally, I think he seems more suitable as an opposite than an outside.
It was a shame for Bulgaria, but if they add superhumans like Sokolov and Kaziski to the team, they will be really strong in the European Championships and Olympic qualifiers. Since this is Bulgaria, who was in the lower team slot, the Paris Olympic qualifiers in China will be a real battle. I'm really glad that Bulgaria isn't in the Japan tournament (laughs).
The next match will be against France on Sunday 11th June at 7:10pm.
The young France team is currently losing 1-2, so I think Japan can win if they play normally. However, their serve reception is tough, so they need to work on their serve.
The opponents for the first week of VNL are summarized in this article ↓
Let's win again next time and make it four wins in a row! Good luck, Ryujin Nippon!!!
I'm doing a live broadcast
We will be broadcasting live commentary on YouTube at the same time as Ryujin Nippon's matches! Please join us and watch!
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.
We recommend U-NEXT, which can be viewed for free using the free trial.!
To apply for a 31-day free trial, click the banner below.
U-NEXTandVolley TVFor details, please refer to the following article.
Let's support Ryujin Nippon through the live broadcast!!!
Photo: FIVB
Photo book "CATCH ××× DREAM" featuring Ryujin Nippon's three players Ishikawa, Takahashi, and Nishida will be released on June 5th! ↓
English 
Japanese