In the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia men's volleyball tournament in Italy, Ishikawa Yuki's Milan team faced Perugia on Saturday, January 27th (local time) and lost 2-3 (25-20, 23-25, 15-25, 25-23, 11-15).
Comment from Yuki Ishikawa
We lost, so I really think we just weren't strong enough.
In the fifth set, I was a little tired, so I missed some spikes and couldn't score when I should have, so I think that was really the problem. If I had scored, I think we could have won a little more.
I wasn't in bad shape, and I was in good shape for this match. I think my condition was good, and my performance was good from the first set, but my reception wasn't going well, and I knew my opponent wasn't going to serve me, but I couldn't do anything, so I think I had to do something about it, and I think that kind of invisible power is important.
And next, we have only the playoffs (in the league), so we have to make it to the top four. If we can get into the top four in the regular season, we can play at home more often, so that's our goal now. I think it's not just me who feels this frustration, but the whole team, so I want to play like this from the first game of the playoffs.
-About the 4th set
Well, I was playing with the determination that I wasn't going to lose, so I was able to make a comeback, but the reason I wasn't able to win in the end was because I really just didn't have enough strength, that's all.
We had no choice but to take one point at a time, and the only way to solve the problem was to change the flow with that one point, so if we had even the slightest feeling that we could get that one point and roar, we could ride that momentum at the end, and somehow I managed to get a point in the end, but I think we did well in other areas as well, but in the end we won the fourth set but lost the fifth set, so there was no point in that and we had to keep winning until the end, and I thought we had to show our winning power until the fifth set.
In the fourth set, the ball was coming to me quite a bit, so I think I was able to make those shots. In the first set, the other players were making a lot of shots, so that was good, but in the second set, the other players started to have trouble making shots, so I think the number of tosses I got decreased, so I think that was a bit of a change, but as I've said many times before, I couldn't score in the fifth set, so it can't be helped, but that's what the game is all about.
The fourth set wasn't just down to my hard work; my opposite player Ferre (Regels) got a service ace, and Melgarejo made a block, so I think it was a fourth set that we all won together, so I may have been the catalyst, but you can't win at this level unless the whole team performs well like that, so I think Perugia's whole team was consistent in that respect and scored points.
-About the 5th set
Like in the fourth set, when we went in thinking we could do it, we were able to go for it, so in terms of our play as well, we talked (before the fifth set) about putting out more energy and being more aggressive than them, but that wasn't enough, so it was a learning experience for me.
I put out a lot of energy in the fourth set, so I was a bit exhausted in the fifth set, so I wouldn't say I ran out of gas, but my stamina was declining a little, so I think I need to be tougher in that area. I think I've gotten tougher by playing this much, but even more than that, although it would be ideal to win if the whole team is doing well, I think I need to be tough enough to be able to do it on my own even if the whole team is doing poorly, otherwise I won't be able to win in the future.
-Thoughts on today's match
We lost here last year as well, so it's the same mistake, but I had hoped to win here and go to the finals, so it's disappointing that it didn't happen. I had brought my condition to the peak, so I think I was able to perform to the fullest, but in the end we lost, so I learned once again that no matter how well you perform, a loss is a loss. I also felt once again that I need to have the ability to have a positive influence on the team, not on the team's, how should I put it, atmosphere, but on my teammates' performance.
Photo: Author
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