The 2023 Men's Volleyball Asian Championship is being held in Urmia (Iran). On Wednesday, August 23rd local time, the Japanese national team faced Bahrain in the first round of the final tournament and won 3-0 (25-14, 25-14, 25-17).
First set starting lineup
Japan
OH: Ai Takahashi, Ishikawa
MB: Onodera, Yamauchi
OP: Nishida
S: Sekita
L: Satoshi Yamamoto
*Positions: OH = outside hitter, MB = middle blocker, OP = opposite, S = setter, L = libero
Match Report
In the first set, Japan took the lead 3-1 with an ace from OH Ishikawa, and then widened the gap to 10-6 with blocks from MB Yamauchi. After that, OH Takahashi Ai's attacks and ace service made it 18-12, and finally OP Miyaura, who entered the game as a substitute, closed it with two consecutive ace service matches to win the set 25-14.
In the second set, Japan took the first point from a block by OH Ishikawa, and L Yamamoto's dig and other defensive counterattacks led to 7-2. In the middle of the match, OP Nishida's attack and service ace made it 15-9, and OH Takahashi Ai's two consecutive service aces made it 21-10, widening the gap for Japan. After reaching set point, Bahrain stole a service ace, but in the end, the opponent made a net touch error and Japan took the set 25-14.
In the third set, MB Takahashi Kentaro, who had entered the court midway through the second set, and OH Otsuka were used from the start. Japan scored the first point with a quick from MB Takahashi Kentaro, and then OP Nishida's spike and OH Otsuka's pipe attack gave them a 6-1 lead. L Ogawa and OH Kai also entered the court. With Kai's service ace, Japan further widened the gap to 18-11. Finally, from 23-17, OH Kai's spike and OP Nishida's service ace were consecutive, and Japan won the set 25-17 and won 3-0 against Bahrain.
The seeded Japan team will have a day's break before competing in the semi-finals on Friday the 25th local time.
Thoughts etc.
Another great win today!!!
Bahrain was a little better than Uzbekistan, but a lot worse than Thailand. Japan and Bahrain had very different atmospheres in the pre-match warm-up, with the Japanese players looking friendly and relaxed, while the Bahrain players looked very stiff.
Japan's starting lineup was the same as in their first match against Thailand, but they were a lot less stiff than in that first game, so they seemed relaxed throughout the game.
Ai Takahashi, who seemed particularly stiff in the first match, moved well on this day and seemed to play relaxed, focusing on controlled shots, including her serves. Although her toss to Yamauchi at the end of the first set did not result in a point, it was a super play that excited the crowd, and her two consecutive aces on short serves in the second set were thrilling. She was the best scorer of the match with 12 points.
Speaking of thrilling, Miyaura's two consecutive service aces at the end of the first set were also amazing! Until then, he had been serving with a relaxed and controlled style, but when he increased his power, he got two consecutive aces. As expected.
Nishida, who competes with Miyaura for the position, also seemed to move better than in the first match. He is still not in top form, but his service ace on match point was a good sign. On this day, Nishida was the one who received the most cheers from the crowd, but in Iran, he receives the most cheers not only from the men but also from the women! Overwhelming support!! (laughs)
And this was MB Kentaro Takahashi's first appearance in the Asian Championships. He didn't even participate in the attack practice in the first and second games, but on this day he was hitting attacks in the warm-up, so I thought maybe he would make an attack, and he really did. He didn't have any outstanding plays in this game, but I'd like to expect more from him in the future.
To put it bluntly, the three matches so far have been against opponents that were not even practice matches for Japan, but the real challenge will start from the next semi-final. Qatar will probably advance to the semi-finals, but they are a talented team that came close to defeating Turkey, who won this year's Challenger Cup (a tournament that determined promotion to the VNL). To be honest, I'm personally getting tired of watching lukewarm matches (lol), so I'm looking forward to the semi-finals and beyond!!
Photo: IRIVF
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