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 Japan's outside hitter, Ai Takahashi, to give us some comments.
-How was today's game?
In the first and second sets, we were playing Japanese volleyball, and we had a really good rhythm from the serve to the block defense, so I think that was a really good start for us. However, in the third set, the opponent's serves started to come in and we were thrown off balance and couldn't get the side-outs, so I felt that this was the area where we needed to persevere and concentrate more to get the side-outs, and I would like to work on improving that. We were able to switch gears and get a good start in the fourth set, so I think we can take that as confidence and carry it over into the next set.
Q: Regarding your serve, you looked very surprised when your opponent, Schwartz, got an ace in the third set. What did you think of that serve from your perspective?
Takahashi: Yes, well I knew it was coming, but it was a really good serve. It was really fast and came in a great trajectory from that height, so I thought it was a really strong serve. I think the part where I couldn't return it is something I need to work on improving my skills more. But receiving a serve like that in that situation means I think situations like that will become more frequent as we face different opponents and stronger teams, so I felt that I need to strive more to be able to receive the ball properly.
--But then Takahashi also blocked Schwartz. What were you thinking when you jumped to block?
Takahashi: That’s right. Schwartz is a very tall player, so I thought it would be difficult to get a kill block there, but I felt that if I could get my hands on him when he cut through the course, I would definitely have a chance. So, I think that the line (straight) that Schwartz likes to go on is something I think I can do myself. Of course, there are times when I leave it to the libero, but sometimes I also think about tightening the line, and I think that worked out well today.
--Canada has two players, Schwartz and Marr, who will be teammates at Monza next season, who have been performing well. How do you feel about this?
Takahashi: First of all, I'm really looking forward to playing together with him. I don't think we often get a chance to play together with a player who is that tall and has that kind of power, so I'm really looking forward to seeing what kind of team we'll be next year, both in terms of my own defense but also in terms of offense.
--Please tell us a bit about your enthusiasm for tomorrow's match against Cuba.
Takahashi: Cuba is of course a team with a lot of potential, and of course they are tall and powerful, so I think the areas where we are different are our receiving power and defense. I think Japan is better at being more detailed than Cuba, and of course, just like today, they are a team with a strong attack, so in order to prevent them from doing that, I think the key is to break them down starting with our serves, so I want to work hard to create a rhythm starting with our serves.
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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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