On the fifth day of the second week of the Nations League, the Japanese men's volleyball team played against Argentina and won 3-2 (25-18, 25-22, 31-33, 22-25, 15-12). After the match, we asked Japan's opposite player, Kento Miyaura, to give us some comments.
-How was the match?
Ishikawa: It was a match that we should have won 3-0, so I think that's something I need to reflect on. As for me personally, I sprained my ankle a little and my performance dropped off from there, so although there's nothing I can do about it, I couldn't allow my performance to drop as long as I was on the court, so I think that's something I need to reflect on.
-In the third set, you had the first match point but then lost it in a comeback. What happened from there that allowed you to win the final fifth set?
Ishikawa: In the fourth set, we were leading until halfway through, but then we were caught up and overtaken, which was an unpleasant flow. I thought that if we could run in the first half, we could gain an advantage, but I think that thinking too much was one of the things I regret about the fourth set. After that, in the fifth set, we were leading at the beginning and it was a bit of an unpleasant atmosphere, but we just did what we needed to do again. It looked like we were going to lose, but we didn't think about that and just did what the team needed to do again, and showed our passion, and we were able to get through the fifth set.
- The Argentina national team had Rosell on their team in Milan (Italy). How was it playing against him?
Ishikawa: I wasn't talking to him from the first set, but I was paying attention to him as I fought. I also tried to hit Agustin (Rosell) and got shut down. I went for the challenge, but I was blocked, so I think that's something I need to reflect on. I think I should have hit a straight in that situation, but I was able to have that kind of challenge and it was a very enjoyable match.
-Looking back on the entire VNL France tournament, how do you feel?
Ishikawa: First of all, I think it was a big thing that we were able to beat Brazil. We also started well in the first two sets of the matches after that. We lost the third and fourth sets, just like Brazil did, but in the end we didn't dwell on it and managed to win, so I think that this was a game that will lead to future appearances in the Nations League, Asian Championships, and OQT (Olympic Qualifiers).
-Please tell us your enthusiasm for the upcoming tournament in the Philippines and the final round.
Ishikawa: Our goal this season is to go to the finals and win one game, and if we can continue to perform as the team does now, I think we have a great chance. If we can't continue, the results will be different, so I think that keeping that in mind and putting in the best performance we can right now will lead to future wins.
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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