On the third day of the first match of the Paris Olympic Qualifiers/World Cup Volleyball 2023 Men's Tournament, the Japanese national team faced Tunisia and won 3-0 (25-14, 25-16, 25-15)!
First set starting lineup
Japan
OH: Ai Takahashi, Ishikawa
MB: Onodera, Kentaro Takahashi
OP: Nishida
S: Sekita
L: Yamamoto
Tunisia
OH: Ben Otome, Ben Rom Dohane
MB: Kadohi, Agrebi
OP: Naga
S: Benslimene
L: Fumissi
*Positions: OH = outside hitter, MB = middle blocker, OP = opposite, S = setter, L = libero
The stats for this match areHere
Match Report
In the first set, Japan took the lead with a quick from MB Onodera, then an ace from OH Takahashi Ai and a block from MB Takahashi Kentaro, who was starting for the first time in this tournament, helped Japan extend their lead to 5-1. Furthermore, a spike from OH Ishikawa and a block from MB Onodera made the score 13-5. From there, Tunisia was able to get side-outs, but setter Sekita built attacks around the center area, preventing them from narrowing the gap to 20-11. Finally, a pipe attack from OH Takahashi Ai made the score 25-14, and Japan took the set.
In the second set, MB Onodera's spike and block gave Japan a 3-1 lead, and OH Ishikawa followed with a spike and block to widen the gap to 8-3. OP Nishida's spike and service ace, and MB Takahashi Kentaro's quick made Japan 17-9, and Japan continued to score. In the final stages, OP Nishida and OH Takahashi Ai's service ace extended the gap to 23-12. After that, OH Ishikawa was caught twice by a block from S. Murabet, who came in as a substitute, but in the end, OH Ishikawa made a solid spike and Japan took the set 25-16.
In the third set, Japan started with L Ogawa. This set also started off well with a service ace from OP Nishida and a block from OH Takahashi Ai, leading to a 3-0 start. OH Ishikawa's consecutive pipe attacks and OP Nishida's second service ace widened the lead to 12-6. In the final stages, MB Takahashi Kentaro's two consecutive service aces and OH Otsuka's service ace, which put Japan at match point at 24-14, led to an error in the opponent's serve, and Japan won the set without any trouble at 25-15, winning 3-0 against Tunisia.
personal MVP
Japan: S. Sekita Masahiro
He built his team's attacks around his strengths in the center area, such as his quick attacks and pipes, and achieved a high success rate of 66% in team attacks. Also, in the match after the shocking defeat against Egypt, he carefully set up each attacker as if to help them get back into shape. There were no substitutions in this match, and he was always on the court except when he was replaced by a relief blocker, so I imagined that Coach Blanc had entrusted him with that.
Tunisia: OH Mohamed Ali Ben Ottomen
6 points, attack efficiency rate 28.57%, serve reception efficiency rate 4.35%
A veteran outside hitter who supported Tunisia on both offense and defense.
Thoughts etc.
We finally got to see the powerful Dragon God Nippon that we wanted to see.
The match against Tunisia took place on October 3, one day after their shocking come-from-behind defeat to Egypt. If they could not compete as well as they had in the first and second matches, they were prepared to give up on qualifying for the Paris Olympics at this tournament.
The first set started well, and Onodera's quick shots were particularly impressive. However, everyone looked stiff, as if they were still feeling the effects of the match against Egypt. Ishikawa in particular looked stiff.
However, in the early part of the second set, after Ishikawa blocked Naga, he slammed a powerful shot into the opponent's court, and his expression seemed to improve. His back had not been in good condition in the previous two matches, and he had not been able to train as well as he would have liked, but this powerful spike seemed to dispel those concerns. I would like to hear from those who saw it in person what it was like.
From there, we saw their characteristic plays everywhere, such as Kentaro's quick, which had a success rate of 1001 TP3T!, and Nishida's signature spectacular service ace. Tomita's unconventional use was also interesting (Tomita, who was a relief server in the middle blocker's place, remained on the court even when receiving serves, and outside hitter Ishikawa took his place as libero). I had seen a similar substitution in the Italian league, so I was a little excited, thinking, "Coach Blanc is doing this too!" (laughs)
In this way, we take the first or second set without any problems.
And then we entered the "dreaded third set." The commentator Nakagauchi said, "For now, it's good," so he was probably implying that he didn't know how the third set would turn out. I was worried too.
However, once you actually see it, it turns out to be a needless worry.
Libero Ogawa was on the court from the start of the third set. Ogawa is known for his serve reception, but despite only playing in one set, he made three digs (the same number as Takahashi Ai on that day) and contributed greatly to the transition attack.
Ai, who had already scored a service ace up until this point, now blocks. Her spikes are so high, she's jumping too high (laughs).
Ishikawa's pipe attacks were hitting the ball one after another, and Nishida also got aces. Furthermore, Kentaro got two aces in a row with his weak serve in the final stages! I was quite surprised by this (lol).
We also got to see some spectacular spikes from Miyanoura, who came on as a substitute, and a service ace from Otsuka. It was a packed exhibition-like match, and we closed out the set with a comfortable 3-0 victory!!!
The five starting attackers each scored between 9 and 13 points, and I was impressed by the way the setter Sekita distributed the ball, which helped each player regain their confidence. Although he didn't score any points, I personally think that the MVP of the day was definitely the setter Sekita.
Anyway, we finally managed to get the straight-set victory that had been so close but had slipped away! It was a long wait! But we'll restart from here! In the third set, everyone looked happy as they played volleyball, as if they had been released from a spell, so I'm sure they'll be fine in the remaining four matches!
The next four matches will be at a higher level and will be tough from the first set onwards, but I'm sure the Dragon Gods who have deployed their domains and dispelled the curse will be able to do it! First, let's cheer on the Türkiye match with all our might!!!
Standings (as of the end of Day 3)
1. USA 3 wins, 0 losses, 9 points
2. Slovenia 3 wins, 0 losses, 9 points
3. Serbia: 2 wins, 1 loss, 6 points (set ratio 1.75)
4. Japan: 2 wins, 1 loss, 6 points (set ratio 1.60)
5. Türkiye: 1 win, 2 losses, 3 points
6. Egypt 1 win, 2 losses, 2 points
7. Finland 0 wins, 3 losses, 1 point
8. Tunisia 0 wins, 3 losses, 0 points
The top two teams will qualify for the Paris Olympics.
Upcoming match schedule
Wednesday, October 4 vs Türkiye
Friday, October 6 vs Serbia
Saturday, October 7 vs Slovenia
October 8th (Sun) vs USA
*All matches will start at 7:25pm
Photo: FIVB
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