In the second match of the third place playoff match of the Italian Men's Volleyball League, Yuki Ishikawa's Milan team faced Trentino on Saturday, April 20th local time and won 3-2 (26-24, 17-25, 25-16, 25-27, 22-20).
Interview with Yuki Ishikawa
Toshiki: Congratulations on your victory. This was your first win against Trentino. How do you feel looking back on the match?
Ishikawa: Yes, I think we had to make a firm decision in the fourth set and end the match, and we lost in an unpleasant way there, but we ended up winning the fifth set. It was a very difficult flow, but I'm glad we were able to win.
Toshiki: The fifth set was a fierce battle with over 20 points scored, what was the factor that enabled you to win it?
Ishikawa: I think we were able to keep our concentration and were helped by the opponent's mistakes, and those were the reasons we were able to win. It wasn't a game that we were able to win completely, and the opponent also made mistakes, so I think that's something we need to reflect on.
Toshiki: Today, your opponent, Trentino, had Sbertoli playing from the start for the first time in a while. What difference did having Sbertoli as setter make for Trentino?
Ishikawa: Well, with our long-time setter back, I think we're starting to get our momentum back, and we did a good job of distributing the passes, so I think our tosses will be better in the next game. It's been a while since we last played the full game, so we did make some substitutions, but we need to be well prepared.
Toshiki: Taking that into consideration, please tell us again about your enthusiasm for the next match.
Ishikawa: There will definitely be more combinations than today, and the distribution of tosses will change too. I've been playing for a year, and I've worked with the coach for several years, so I know how the coach collects data, so I think he'll be a really tough setter for us to face, but we'll just do our best and go into the third game.
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