In the Paris Olympic qualifying pool B, the Japanese volleyball team played against Kenya on Saturday, August 3rd (local time) and won 3-0 (25-17, 25-22, 25-12).
Starting members
Positions: OH = Outside Hitter, MB = Middle Blocker, OP = Opposite, S = Setter, L = Libero
The points in brackets are the scores
Japan
OH: Koga (16), Ishikawa (12)
MB: Yamada (6), Araki (2)
OP: Hayashi (9)
S: Iwasaki (2)
L: Kojima, Fukudome
Substitutes: MB Miyabe (4), OP Wada (2), OH Inoue (1), S Seki
Kenya
OH: Oluoch (17), Namthira (3)
MB: Barasa (11), Atka (6)
OP: Owino (2)
S: Mutinda (2)
L: Kundu
Substitutes: OP Shimiyu (2), OH Kasaya (1), S Misoki, MB Kaei
Match Report
Set 1
In the early stages, Japan took a 8-1 lead with five consecutive points, including two aces, from S Iwasaki's serve. After that, Kenya cut side-outs with quick attacks, but Japan continued to break with spikes from OH Koga and OH Ishikawa, widening the gap to 17-9. In the final stages, Japan broke with a spike from OH Ishikawa and an opponent's mistake to make it 23-15, and finally MB Miyabe, who entered the match as a substitute, scored consecutive spikes to win the set 25-17.
Set 2
At the start of the match, Kenya took the lead 0-2 with a service ace from S Owino. From there, Japan made consecutive points with a service ace from OP Hayashi, spikes from OH Koga and OH Ishikawa, and took a 10-6 lead, but with MB Oluoch's block and Japan's mistakes, Kenya took the lead again at 11-12. However, Japan took the lead again with spikes from OH Koga and OH Ishikawa, scoring points to make it 20-18, and finally OH Koga scored consecutive spikes to win the set 25-22.
Third set
Japan started with S. Seki and MB. Miyabe. From the beginning, Japan took the lead 8-1 with MB. Yamada's blocks, OP. Hayashi's spikes, and Kenya's mistakes. In the middle of the game, OH. Koga's spikes and consecutive mistakes by Kenya allowed Japan to score consecutive points, widening the gap to 20-8. After that, MB. Yamada's blocks and OP. Wada's spikes, who came in as a substitute, continued to score points, reaching match point at 24-11. Finally, Kenya made a mistake by stepping over the center line, and Japan took the set 25-12.
As a result, Japan won against Kenya 3-0.
TOSHIKI'S MVP
Japan: OH Koga Sarina
16 points (including 1 block and 1 serve), attack efficiency rate 38.711 TP3T
She contributed greatly to the team's straight victory with the highest score. In particular, in the second set, which was a close match, she scored nine points by herself to stop Kenya's fierce pursuit. This was also the last match for Koga, who announced her retirement after the Paris Olympics. I was touched by her smile during the match and her tears after the match.
Kenya: MB Barasa
11 points (2 blocks), attack efficiency rate 501 TP 3T
A middle blocker who tormented Japan with a succession of high and powerful spikes. She also made her presence felt by scoring two points in blocks. If Kenya had been better at receiving and had been hit by her more, Japan would have been in danger. Her opponent, MB Atuka, also had a very high success rate, and Japan had little time to respond.
As a result, the team I chose as the MVP for the team that played against Japan at the Paris Olympics was all middle blockers. There is no doubt that their high blocks and quicks were a threat to Japan. In particular, defending against the opponent's quick attacks is a common issue for both men and women in Japan.
Commentary
Kenya had many players with great physical abilities, but they still had many rough edges.
In the first set, Japan shook up Kenya with short serves from S Iwasaki, and OP Hayashi and others used feints to take advantage of Kenya's roughness and scored points. Japan's OH Ishikawa scored the most points of the set, 5.
Kenya's middle blockers had a high success rate with their spikes, but they also lost many points due to mistakes and missed scoring opportunities.
However, in the second set, Kenya's mistakes decreased and their serve reception improved. On the offensive side, OH Oluoch continued to score with high decisiveness, scoring 8 points by himself. S Mutinda also served 2 aces.
Because of this, Japan allowed Kenya to take the lead in the middle stages of the game, but S. Seki, who came on as a substitute, entrusted many of the tosses to OH Koga, who responded by scoring many points and successfully turning the situation around.
In the third set, Kenya lost concentration, conceding 11 points in attacks alone and making a series of mistakes, almost ending up self-destructively. MB Yamada's three blocks also helped.
Japan ended up winning 3-0, but the Kenyan players also showed their high ability. However, they lost too many points due to mistakes, 21 points (Japan lost 7 points) in the 3rd set, so if they can improve on this, they will be able to compete more on the world stage.
Despite winning, Japan was also eliminated from the qualifying round.
Having won their first ever silver medal in this year's Nations League, Japan went on to win the Paris Olympics on that momentum, but in the end they were unable to compete on equal terms with their rivals, whose teams had only grown stronger since the Nations League.
Just like the Tokyo Olympics, the Japanese team was disappointed to be eliminated from the qualifying pool, but we hope that they will learn from this experience and return to a strong women's team.
I would like to reiterate that Sarina Koga, who has supported the Japanese women's national team for many years, retired after this match. Although she was not selected for the Rio Olympics and was eliminated in the qualifying pools in Tokyo and Paris, she was not able to achieve any results at the Olympics, but she looked very cool as she fought on the court with a smile until the very end.
Thank you very much for your hard work.
Pool B standings (as of August 3rd)
1st Brazil★ 2 wins, 0 losses, 6 points 6/0
2nd Poland★ 2 wins, 0 losses, 6 points 6/1
3rd place Japan 1 win, 2 losses, 3 points 4/6
4th place Kenya 0 wins, 3 losses, 0 points 0/9
★Quarterfinal advancement confirmed
Japan was eliminated from the pool
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[Distribution date and time]
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Saturday, September 14th 5pm Women's #4
(Quoted from TBS TV release)
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Photo: Volleyball World
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