On the first day of the second week of the Nations League, the Japanese men's volleyball team played against Canada and won 3-1 (25-22, 25-17, 24-26, 25-14). After the match, we asked Yuki Ishikawa, the outside hitter for the Japanese national team, for a comment.
-What was your team's intention going into the match today?
Ishikawa: I think the main focus was serving and blocking, and the Canadian team isn't very good at receiving, so I went into the match hoping to shake up their serve.
--Regarding your serve, you were very effective, hitting three aces, but what was your specific intention when serving?
Ishikawa: I keep an eye on the score difference, and when I'm going for it, I try to hit a short serve well to break it down, and I do that while keeping that in mind when I serve. When I'm behind, I just serve my own serve. I'm confident that I can turn the tide there, so I focus on what I need to do first.
--After the opposing team changed to Schwartz as their opposite, it seemed like they were struggling with blocking. What did you think about that?
Ishikawa: He hits the ball straight, and rather than dodging the block and hitting the ball, he either hits the ball into the block or hits the ball in the same direction, so I was moving my arm when blocking, so I was checking that.
-- Tomorrow's match against Cuba will be against you. Your Milan teammate Melgarejo will be there. What kind of game do you want to put on?
Ishikawa: Yes, they are ranked lower, so I want to win, and I have teammates who I fought with, so I think they will come up with strategies to counter me, and conversely, I think we can come up with strategies to counter them. But I don't know if he will play or not, and I think the match will be more fun if he does, so I still have to beat them, so I want to keep that in mind as I fight.
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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