--The Polish league is filled with top players from around the world, but if you were to create a dream team of players who are active in the Polish league this season, who would you choose?
Miyaura: Yes. The outside hitter is Defalco. The diagonal hitter is... that's difficult, maybe Kovacevich. The middle blockers are Bieniek and Takfam. And the opposite is Butorin. The setter, no matter what, is Toniutti. The libero is Perry.
-Please tell us why you chose each player.
Miyaura: Defalco (USA, Rzeszow) on the side can receive the ball, and his spikes have a unique speed that other players don't have, and he has a lot of different skills, so I think he's a really troublesome player. Above all, he has a lot of punching power, so he often gets blown away even when he hits the block, and even if he breaks through the block, he hits a strong spike that is hard to pick up, so I think he's amazing. He also has a good serve, so he's really an all-rounder.
Miyaura: Also, Kovacevic (from Zabierce, Serbia) is someone who, for some reason, makes plays that make you think, "He's going to get through there?!" and makes unexpected plays like, "Where on the block are you looking at when you hit it?!" He has been the core of Zabierce's team this year, and thanks to him we have won many games. He doesn't have much height or power, but the way he uses various techniques to make the shots is amazing, cool, and thrilling.
Miyaura: Next is the middle serve. Bieniek (Poland, Belchatow) is really, in a word, brutal (laughs). First of all, his serve is a hybrid, but he hits it at 120km. Moreover, his accuracy is high, and he really produces a lot of service aces. Even when we played against him, there were many balls that made me think, "Oh, this is impossible." Just the fact that he has such a good serve is brutal, and even when there are two blocks on the attack, he hits it on a long course from above, so I thought it was a really brutal middle serve, brutal. It was unstoppable. Moreover, I think it's amazing that he easily scores about 20 points a game.
Miyaura: As for Takfam (Norway, Suwałki), he's the first player I've seen since coming to the Polish league, but first of all, he has a lot of variation in his attacks, and he uses a lot of width by shifting, so he's very troublesome. Also, by teaming up with Suwałki's current setter, Sanchez (Argentina), the team has become a quick-based setup, and I feel that Takfam is really active, so I think he's the player Suwałki needs to be most careful of.
Miyaura: My opposite player, Butrin (from Olsztyn, Poland), is not tall at all, but in one word, he is the opposite, with insane power and amazing power when it matters. Of course, he hits the ball exactly on the line, and I think he is a player I can really emulate. He is the opposite, and he makes the decisions in close matches, and when the serve comes around in close matches, he gets a service ace, so when I watch him, I think I want to be a player like him. He is a player I really like.
Miyaura: The setter, Toniutti (from Jastrzcienbski Wänger, France), is small, which is a weakness, but he is a skilled player who makes up for that. He is also good at using his quick kicks, and he draws the opponent in to his quick kicks and sets up attacks on the pipes or sides, so I can really see why he has been able to play on the top team in this league for so many years despite his short stature. He is simply skilled, and has a unique tempo that spreads his quick kicks to the sides and pipes, which I think makes him really skilled.
Miyaura: Libero Perry (Australia, Gdansk) is all-round. He's really good at receiving and digging, and the numbers show that, proving that he's number one in the Polish league. In terms of reception, he and Martinez (Argentina) were often together in Gdansk, so their defensive range was quite wide, but they still had numbers, so I think they're really at the top. He also picks up a lot of balls in digs, and when we played against him, I felt like we were "picked up," so I think he's a really tough player. I also thought his spikes were strong (laughs).
--You're a libero, but your spikes are strong? (laughs)
Miyaura: When I saw her spiking during spiking practice, I thought she was really good at spiking. Even though she's a libero, she's really good at spiking (laughs).
--Thank you very much. I don't think it was intentional, but all seven of you were selected from different teams.
Miyaura: That's right. Each team has some really amazing players, including Nisa, Ventala and Gerjot. Wow, all the teams are amazing (laughs).
- There are only a few days left of the regular season in the Polish League, with the playoffs starting in April. How do you want to spend the rest of the season?
Miyaura: First of all, the playoffs are our goal, and we're fighting every single game with that in mind. I think it's really important that we put our performance into that. Right now, several teams are really close in terms of points, so if we win, we go up in the rankings, and if we lose, we go down. We don't want to lose even one game like that, so we're really going to give 100% in the game in front of us. I think preparation for that is really important.
-What do you think happens after the playoffs?
Miyaura: Of course we are aiming to win, but first we want to get into the playoffs, and if we do make it, I honestly don't know what our goal will be after that, but I think we just want to give it our all and show what we've accomplished at the end in the playoffs.
-Finally, please give a message to your fans.
Miyaura: First of all, we are aiming for the playoffs, so we will focus on that and do our best. We will give 100% in the game in front of us so that we can show our fans a good game and report good results. Also, as an individual, I will prepare so that I can really contribute to the team when I play in the game, and I want to perform in a way that will really make the fans happy. Please continue to support us!
Kento Miyaura
Born February 22, 1999
Position: Opposite
Height: 190cm
Highest reach: 347cm
Affiliation: Chinzei High School → Waseda University → JTEKT Stings → Nysa (Poland)
Photos: PSG Stal Nysa, PZPL, photographed by author and provided by the artist
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