In the second round of the second half of the Italian Women's Volleyball League, Firenze, which Ishikawa Mayu plays for, played against Pinerolo on Sunday, January 7th (local time) and won 3-1 (25-22, 25-18, 24-26, 25-20). Ishikawa Mayu started and scored 20 points, the second highest on the team.
Interview with Mayu Ishikawa
T: How do you feel looking back on the match?
Ishikawa: First of all, I think it was great that we got off to a good start in the first game of the year.
T: In the first half of the tournament, you lost to Pinerolo in a full set. What was different compared to then?
Ishikawa: I think that at the beginning we weren't fully formed as a team, and we ended up losing many sets that we should have won, so I think that we got off to a good start in today's match.
T: Personally, what did you do well in today's match and what areas do you need to improve on?
Ishikawa: There were some parts where I could have broken down the opponent a bit more with my serves, but I was able to get the breaks properly, so I think that went well.As for the issues, there were many times when I wanted to score with my spikes but they were blocked or I couldn't score, and I was a little too early and my timing with the setter was off, so I would like to fix that.
T: How has it been playing in the Italian league so far?
Ishikawa: At the beginning of the league, I didn't have any data so I had a lot of success with my spikes, but as the game went on, there were a lot of cases where the opponent blocked me and that sort of thing happened, so I want to work on how to score points in those situations and reduce the number of mistakes I make.
T: What do you think is the biggest difference between the Japanese league and the current one?
Ishikawa: Of course the height is different, and I also feel like there are many cases where I'm no longer able to make the shots I was able to make before.
T: What are your goals for this season?
Ishikawa: As a team we weren't able to make it to the playoffs last season, so our goal as a team is to stay in the playoffs, but I also want to make it to the playoffs and achieve some good results. Personally, I would like to play in Italy and bring that experience back to Japan.
T: Did you eat anything delicious in Italy?
Ishikawa: When I go to a restaurant with my team and try something new, it's delicious. There's a lot of delicious food in Italy, so yes (laughs).
T: Good luck with the rest of the season. Thank you.
Ishikawa: Thank you very much.
Italian League Website: https://www.legavolleyfemminile.it/
Distribution (VBTV, paid): https://www.volleyballworld.tv/home
Photo: Author, legavolleyfemminile.it
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