石川・藍がチームに合流しイランに3-0で勝利【バレーボールネーションズリーグ男子】

Ishikawa Ai joins the team and leads them to a 3-0 victory over Iran [Men's Volleyball Nations League]

June 4, 2024 October 5, 2024

In the second week of the Fukuoka round of the Men's Volleyball Nations League 2024 Tournament, the Japanese national team played against Iran on Tuesday, June 4th local time and won 3-0 (25-23, 25-22, 25-17).

Starting members

Japan

OH: Ai (14), Ishikawa (14)
MB: Onodera (4), Yamauchi (6)
OP: Nishida (14)
S: Sekita (1)
L: Ogawa

Substitutes: OH Kai (2), OP Miyaura (1), S Fukatsu, OH Tomita

Iran

OH: Milad (5), Salehi (20)
MB: Gervais (4), Mohammed (4)
OP: Amin (14)
S: Vadim
L: Arman, Hazrat

Substitutes: OH Esfandiar (2), OP Barbast (2), OH Poliah

*Positions: OH = outside hitter, MB = middle blocker, OP = opposite, S = setter, L = libero

※ () indicates score

TOSHIKI'S MVP

OH Ai Takahashi

14 points, attack efficiency rate 681 TP 3T

In addition to his 14 points, which was tied for the team high, he also contributed greatly to the team's victory with a high attack effectiveness rate of 681 TP3T, and a serve receive success rate of 651 TP3T despite receiving more than half of the opponent's serves, both in plays that directly contributed to points and in plays that did not.

I was thrilled by the moment in the first set when he scored a set point despite his timing not being right, and the moment early in the third set when he pounced on OP Amin's serve just on the sideline and made an A pass.

However, S. Sekita's performance was also MVP-level, as he increased the score of all three side players to 14 points, leading to a team attack effectiveness rate of 541 TP3T.

Match commentary

OH Ishikawa and OH Ai, key players from the Brazil tournament in the first week, joined the team, and the match was an opportunity for them to show off their current abilities against Asian rivals Iran.

From the end of the first set to the middle of the second set, Iran seemed to gain momentum with OH Salehi's service aces and spikes, but in the end Japan defeated Iran in straight sets without dropping a single set.

A major factor in Japan's victory was the high effectiveness of their attacks throughout the match.

In the first half of the game, S. Sekita used quick attacks as a middle blocker, and in the second half, he used pipe attacks from behind to make it difficult for Iran to focus on one target, and all of Japan's attackers responded accordingly.

There were times in the middle of the second set when Japan struggled with Iran's blocks, but the team was able to overcome those difficulties with their own strength.

Iran also thoroughly targeted OH Ai with their serves, but their high serve reception success rate helped them to minimize lost points.

The game ended with a service ace from OH Kai, who came on as a substitute, and I think it was a very successful match considering it was the first time the two main players had played together and their first game in Japan this year.

I also felt the evolution of MB Yamauchi's quick kick. It's high and powerful. His skinny look is nowhere to be found anymore.

In addition to their strong offensive power, Iran also showed tenacity in defence in this match.

However, it seemed as though the result was due to the many serve errors and differences in the precision of play, which is not easily reflected in direct numbers, such as high sets.

The difference in the setters is also huge. I was reminded of the impact of the previous Iranian setter, Ma'ruf.

By the way, Ogawa was in the starting lineup for libero for Japan this time. Of course, his stable serve reception, digs, and especially his splendid sets were superb, but I was a little concerned as to why Yamamoto, who usually starts, was not used.

I hope nothing happens to Yamamoto.

Also, Nishida's English interview is back on VBTV! His English has improved again, which is good.