On Sunday, February 9th local time, the 8th round of the second half of the Italian Superlegga, Milan played against Padova, and Milan, where Otsuka Tatsunori plays, won 3-1 (27-25, 22-25, 25-22, 27-25).
OH Otsuka will start on the bench.
In the first set, Milan scored mainly with OP Regels and Padua mainly with OH Porro. The game was a close one with breaks. However, Milan took a three-point lead with a service ace from OP Regels, 19-16. Milan took the lead with a spike from OH Ruati at 24-22, but then Milan made a series of mistakes and the game was tied at 24-24. However, OP Regels scored the final point and Milan took the set at 27-25.
The second set was a close one, just like the first set. However, Padova took the lead 14-17 with a spike from OH Porro and a block from MB Prak. OH Otsuka came in and showed his skills by scoring a spike, but even towards the end, OH Porro continued to attack and Padova took the set back 22-25.
In the third set, Milano took the lead by scoring mainly with spikes from OP Regels, but Padova also hung on with MB Prak's service aces and the score difference did not go away. Then in the middle of the set, Padova turned the game around with blocks from MB Crosato and MB Prak to 14-16. However, in the middle of the set, MB Kaneschi scored three consecutive service aces to make it 18-16, and then MB Laritza's consecutive blocks put Milano in the lead at 21-17. In the end, OP Regels scored a sure point and Milano won 25-22.
In the fourth set, OH Otsuka entered the court from the start. Early in the set, Otsuka scored the first point with a pipe attack from the back court, but then Milan made a series of mistakes, giving Padova an 8-10 lead. From there, OH Sedlacek's service ace widened the gap to 12-15. However, Milan tied the score at 21-21 with blocks from S Porro and MB Kaneschi in the final stages. OH Porro spiked to give Padova the first set point at 23-24, but the next serve was an error, and the game went to deuce. From there, OP Regels and MB Kaneschi blocked in succession, giving Milan a match point, and finally OP Regels spiked to make it 27-25, giving Milan a 3-1 victory.
Detailed match stats
https://www.legavolley.it/match/38317
We covered this match on site.
This was probably my first time watching/reporting a match at Allianz Cloud without Ishikawa Yuki. Compared to when Ishikawa was a member, the overall number of spectators seemed to have decreased slightly, but there were still many Japanese fans on the day.
And it's a great gym with good visibility. And best of all, it's easy to access. Of all the gyms in Superlegas that are hard to access by public transport, this is the only one that you can get to by subway and don't have to worry about catching the last train even though the match starts at 8:30pm.
First of all, I was glad to see Otsuka's performance. I was really looking forward to seeing him this time, as he didn't stand out much in the match against Zabierche, which I saw in person last time. Otsuka started on the bench and Kaziyski looked pretty good in the early stages, so I thought he wouldn't have a chance to play in the forward line, but he ended up playing a great game.
He scored 7 points in attacks, and had an attack effectiveness rate of 641 TP3T with no losses, which is an amazing number. He was originally a defensive player in the Italian league, but his attacks have been very good recently. On this day, he was substituted in the second set and scored a spike early, and the first point of the fourth set was also a pipe attack by Otsuka. He seems to have won the trust of setter Porro.
It seems like his spikes have more power, and the width of his shots has increased, giving him more options. Until last year, he made a lot of mistakes when attacking, especially mistakes that resulted in the ball going out, but I think he has gotten a good feel for blocking and is now able to block out well. Otsuka himself seems to be feeling good about this, and he spoke about it happily in the post-match interview (he was like, "I'm glad you asked me!" lol).
It seems that he has become quite fluent in the language and his communication skills have been further improved. He is always talking to people and making physical contact with them, whether on the bench or on the court. If you watch him closely, you can really see that. There are so many lol. I guess this is his true strength after all.
But the MVP was MB Kaneski. Although his total score was only 10 points, his three consecutive service aces in the third set were impressive, and his two blocks at the end of the fourth set decided the outcome. I think he was worthy of the MVP.
However, Otsuka won the MVP vote from the audience.
The player with the most points was OP Regels. He scored 23 points, including two service aces and one block. He is really reliable and stable. Last season, when he made his debut in the Italian League, he and Ishikawa were like two of the main players, but this season he has been the team's top scorer in most games. It was impressive to see him make several sharp line shots that day.
When I asked him about the increased responsibility of scoring compared to last season, he said he was enjoying it and that he thinks he can improve even more.
However, the player who left the biggest impression on me was Padua's OH Luca Porro. He was the top scorer for Padua with 22 points. What was amazing was his attack, he took 29 shots, made 21 without making a single mistake or losing a block, and recorded an attack efficiency rate of 721 TP3T. He was making shots regardless of whether he was in the front or the back.
He was amazed by his play, with a variety of ways to score points, including close shots, blockouts, and dropping the ball with a fence. He also had one ace on the serve, and his defense was excellent, especially his consecutive digs at the end of the fourth set.
As you can tell from the fact that they both have the same name, Porro, he is the younger brother of Milan's setter Paolo Porro, and although he is taller than his brother, he is still only 193cm tall, almost the same height as Yuki Ishikawa.
However, I personally feel that his volleyball skills are outstanding, and that he has the mental strength to perform well at key moments. Last year, he made his senior national team debut and was selected as a member of the Paris Olympics team. It won't be long before he becomes a starter for the Italian national team. If you haven't seen him play yet, I highly recommend it.
I also had the chance to talk to him a little bit.
Although the score was 3-1, it was a very interesting and substantial game and I was very satisfied because I got to see what I wanted to see.
After the match, Otsuka, like Ishikawa and Takahashi, politely interacted with the fans until the last one. He was also very popular with the volunteer staff. It was nice to see such a sight.
The domestic league and the European Champions League are now entering their climax, and I hope that each player will be able to fully demonstrate their abilities on the court and perform at a great level.
Photo: legavolley.it, author
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