In the first leg of the Confederation of European Volleyball (CEV) Challenge Cup final, Monza, the team that Ai Takahashi plays for, played against Warsaw (Poland) on Wednesday, February 21st (local time) and lost 1-3 (18-25, 25-21, 18-25, 19-25). Ai Takahashi came on as a substitute and scored one point.
Post-match interview with Ai Takahashi
T: How do you feel looking back on the match?
Takahashi: I was injured so I only came on in the middle of the game to support the team, but there were some players on the team who were in good form and some who weren't, so I think it was great that the players who were in good form were able to lead the team. I think I need to improve my condition even more because I wasn't able to help the team properly when I played in the fourth set. We still have a home game, so I want to win it.
T: How is your injury and condition?
Takahashi: Yes, I don't want to use that as an excuse, but of course it's only been a month since the injury, so I'm not fully healed and I'll be performing while battling the pain, so I think I need to do my best in that regard and do my rehabilitation properly.
T: I think Warsaw was at a much higher level than the teams we've played against in the Challenge Cup so far. What was your impression of the Warsaw team?
Takahashi: Yes, I think they are really good, and there are many players who have competed in world championships, and I thought that they are a really high-level team in terms of block defense from serves, so I think that in order for us to win, we need to be even better at breaking. Today, I myself was a bit off in terms of serve reception, but that one point will be a very big one for Warsaw. I thought that they are a really high-level team, and I thought that we need to be even better than our opponents in order to beat them.
T: This will be your first match in Poland since last year's VNL Final. What was the atmosphere like at the venue and in Warsaw?
Takahashi: Yes, I think the atmosphere in Poland, or the excitement of the crowd, is really fun for me. I'm really happy to be able to play here, and I'm also happy to be in Poland again. Warsaw is a great city, so I'll be flying back tomorrow, but I have some time before then, so I'd like to do some sightseeing.
T: Please tell us again about your enthusiasm for the second leg of the final at home next week.
Takahashi: Yes, that's right. I think I'll be able to improve my performance even more in a week, so I want to work hard to improve my performance even more than I did today. We still have a chance to win, so I want to switch my mindset and focus on that.
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