In the second week of the Fukuoka round of the Volleyball Nations League 2024 Men's Tournament, the Japanese national team played against Germany on Wednesday, June 5th (local time) and won 3-2 (25-22, 22-25, 25-27, 25-23, 15-8).
Starting members
Japan
OH: Ai (15), Ishikawa (19)
MB: Onodera (15), Kentaro (6)
OP: Nishida (19)
S: Sekita
L: Yamamoto
Substitutes: MB Yamauchi (3), S Fukatsu, OP Miyaura, OH Tomita, OH Kai
Germany
OH: Shots (8), Brands (25)
MB: Brehme (9), Klick (7)
OP: Kalicek (26)
S: Campagnolo (4)
L: Graven
Substitutes: OH Fromm, S Tille, MB Maasse
*Positions: OH = outside hitter, MB = middle blocker, OP = opposite, S = setter, L = libero
※ () indicates score
TOSHIKI'S MVP
OH Ishikawa Yuki
19 points (2 blocks), attack efficiency 411 TP 3T
They scored points at crucial moments towards the end of the fourth set, when they were being pushed hard, to prevent Germany from making a comeback, and in the following fifth set they hit one powerful serve after another, creating the opportunity for consecutive breaks that decided the match.
He also made his presence felt with his blocking throughout the match.
It's reassuring to have Yuki Ishikawa on the court during a full set. He's truly a world-class Ishikawa.
Match commentary
A showdown between two defensive teams.
In the first set, both teams played solid defense and were able to keep the effectiveness of each other's attacks low, but Japan steadily converted Germany's slight mistakes into points and took the lead.
From there, in the second and third sets, Germany racked up service aces, mainly from OH Brand, while Japan struggled to get their serves going and lost both sets in close matches.
However, thanks to Ishikawa's performance, Japan narrowly won the fourth set, and in the final fifth set, Japan's surf finally got going, with OH Ai and others boldly hitting difficult balls and converting them into points to take the set.
Japan thus won the match 3-2.
In addition to Ishikawa's great performance, Japan also had outstanding performances from OP Nishida, who maintained a high attacking effectiveness rate throughout the game and scored the team's highest number of points with 20 points, and MB Onodera, who was multi-talented with 10 spikes, 4 blocks and 1 ace.
On the other hand, libero Yamamoto seemed to lack precision compared to usual, especially in serve reception, where she was hit by aces between Ai and Ishikawa on many occasions.
In terms of content, it would not have been strange if L. Ogawa had been replaced in the middle of the game, but I think it was a patient decision with an eye on the Olympics, where only one libero can participate. I hope he can somehow get his performance back.
Although we ended up winning, it was a really tough match and we could have easily lost.
They were unable to play the type of volleyball that Japan wants to play, which is to attack with serves and play solid defense, and on top of that, Germany's star player OP Grosser was on the bench wearing a libero uniform, which must have put pressure on the Japanese players.
OP Kalicek and OH Brand were really good at serving and spiking, and OH Brand was able to withstand the Japanese serves. OH shots were also good.
The German national team has really improved since taking over as coach under young Polish coach Wienialski in 2022. They have built a very solid team.
After all, their ability to win the right to compete in the Paris Olympics by beating Italy in the qualifying rounds last year is no joke. They are also likely to be a dark horse that can make it to the top of the Olympic Games. This is a team to look forward to.
Against a team with a strong defense like today, it will be necessary to be more creative with our serves and spikes. I'm sure this experience will come in handy in the VNL Finals and the Olympics.
The next match will be against the strongest champions Poland, which will take place one day later. Poland, like Japan, has been fielding its full members since the second week, so we can look forward to a fierce battle between the two teams.
For detailed match stats,Here
Highlight Video
Next race information
vs Poland
June 7th (Friday) 19:20~ (Japan time)
Television broadcast
Broadcast live on the TBS network
TBS Nations League special site (you can check the TV broadcast schedule, etc.):https://www.tbs.co.jp/volley-nationsleague/
Online broadcast (LIVE)
①VBTV (English, paid): https://www.volleyballworld.tv/home
②U-NEXT (Japanese, paid)
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For more information on how to watch the Nations League online, click here:
Photo: FIVB
[PR] "ALL for DREAM -Footsteps to Glory- Japan Volleyball National Team Nations League 2024" will be available on U-NEXT from July 27th (Sat.)
A documentary program that closely follows the unknown behind-the-scenes of the "Volleyball Nations League 2024" and traces the fierce battles will be streamed on U-NEXT.
[Distribution date and time]
July 27th (Saturday) 5pm Boys #1 Boys #2
August 3rd (Saturday) 5pm Women's #1
Saturday, August 10th 5pm Women's #2
Saturday, August 24th 5pm Men's #3
Saturday, August 31st 5pm Women's #3
September 7th (Saturday) 5pm Men's #4
Saturday, September 14th 5pm Women's #4
(Quoted from TBS TV release)
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