In the second match of the quarterfinals of the Italian Women's Volleyball League playoffs, Chieri, coached by Hayashi Kento, played against Novara on Saturday, March 30th (local time) and lost 0-3 (22-25, 30-32, 21-25).
Coach Kent (Post-match comments from Coach Kento Hayashi)
Toshiki: Thank you for your hard work. First, please give us a review of today's match.
Kent: What was different from last time was that Markova replaced Akimova as the opposite. She had never played as an opposite before, so I didn't have any data and her hitting point was very high, so I think that was one of the biggest reasons for our loss.
We lost points directly on our serve reception, and there were times when the ball went directly to the opponent's code, but we managed to hang in there. However, I think that our opposite player, Globerna, had a hard time scoring, which made it difficult for us to attack.
Also, the outside players Suzakumari and Bozzetti, who we had been able to contain last time, were able to score points with their skillful hits, and we were unable to contain either the left or right fielders, which I think was a very difficult part of putting together Chieri's defense.
TOSHIKI: Even though you lost 0-3, the second set was a very close one. What was lacking in the second set in particular?
Kent: Yes, throughout the match, but especially in the second set, I think the biggest part was that we couldn't effectively push our serves, and the serves went to the libero and Bozzetti. We weren't aiming for anyone, but in the end, we ended up serving to a player who had a high return rate and a high side-out rate after winning the ball, which was not good. Our style is to build a match with our serves and blocks, so the biggest part was that we couldn't get there.
I think the reason we couldn't win the second set was because we couldn't get the decisive shot from the opposite side. I can't really say anything because I can't organize my thoughts well right now, but I think it was tough that we couldn't score direct attacks. I think we were about the same strength in the middle, but the big difference was that we couldn't score from both the outside and the opposite sides.
TOSHIKI: Now the quarterfinals are at 1 win and 1 loss, and whoever wins next will advance to the semifinals. There isn't much time until the third match, but how do you plan to prepare for that?
Kent: First of all, in terms of blocking and defense, it is important to study the direction (spike course) of the opponent, Markova, thoroughly and to prevent her from scoring against the outside. I think it is inevitable that the opposite will score a certain amount of points, so the first thing to do is to not let the opponent's outside play freely.
To do that, I think it starts with the serve, starting with the block, and studying where to return the ball during the rally, first of all to control the outside. And I will analyze and study Markova more, and if we can approach the match with a common understanding (within my team), I think we will be able to control the game even more, so I will do my best to achieve that goal, even though there is not much time left until the match.
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