On Sunday, March 2nd local time, we spoke with Tarumi Yume, a player for the Italian Superlegga Men's Cisterna.
On this day, Cisterna played the final regular round match against Monza away. After a very close match, Monza defeated Cisterna 2-3 (27-25, 19-25, 28-26, 24-26, 15-17). This was a very important match for Monza, who would have been relegated if they had lost, and the stadium was filled with an extraordinary sense of excitement and tension.
Meanwhile, Tarumi entered the game in the second set and scored 10 points with a sharp spike and a service ace. Unfortunately, he went back to the bench in the middle of the fifth set, but his high and light jumps, which didn't make him seem small, may have reminded Monza fans of Ai Takahashi (currently with Suntory), who was a member of the team last season.
After the match, amid the excitement of the venue celebrating Monza's decision to remain in the Superlegga, he gave a friendly interview.
T: Thank you for your hard work. First, please give us a review of today's match.
Tarumi: Yes, the playoffs had been decided, but as a team we really wanted to win in the end and get into good form heading into the playoffs, so that's how we felt (right now) - we wanted to win it.
T: You came on as a substitute today and not only scored a spike but also a service ace. How did you feel about your individual performance?
Tarumi: No, not at all. I think the problem is that there were good and bad times during the match. When I was doing well, I was able to receive and return the serve and attack. But when I started making mistakes, I started playing passively, so if I play passively, I still won't win here (Italy), so I'd like to make some more adjustments for the next match, when the playoffs start.
T: This season is your first time in an overseas league, and you're also taking on the Italian League, the best in the world. Looking back on this regular season, how do you feel?
Tarumi: Well, that's true. I didn't have many opportunities to play, but when I did, I gradually started to be able to show what I had practiced, and that started to pay off towards the end. I don't know if I'm the best, but it's a high-level league, so I didn't think I'd be able to do well that easily, and that's why I came here, so I got pushed around, but gradually I was able to show my own strengths and what I've practiced here in the games, so it's been a really fulfilling season.
T: What have been your strengths so far this season and what are your areas of weakness?
Tarumi: The first area where I didn't work was spiking. The blocks are high here, and there are a lot of tall players, so the defensive range is wide, and it's hard to spike, so my coach told me to do it when I came here, and I'm working on it as an issue, so I think I need to get used to it a bit more. As for the areas where I did work, it wasn't right from the beginning, but since I started practicing, my serves and blocks have gradually become more effective. I've gotten used to playing against tall opponents, and I've gained power since coming here, so I think I'll be able to do it with confidence even if I go back to Japan.
T: Which game was the most memorable for you?
Tarumi: It was the first time I played a full game, or rather, a long game, against Padua. I was feeling pretty good that week, and I felt confident that I could play if I could, so I was able to play there. Officially, the middle player (Mazzone) won the MVP award, but I was really happy that everyone acted like "You're the MVP," and I was able to show what I've been working on in the game, so that was the most memorable thing.
T: At that time, Mazzone also commented that he was "very happy to see Yuuga's success," but are you particularly close with Mazzone on a regular basis?
Tarumi: No, we're quite an age apart so we don't go out anywhere other than for volleyball, but he's very friendly and sometimes says funny things in Japanese, so he's a really funny guy, haha.
T: What kind of team is Cisterna?
Tarumi: It's fun haha. Everyone is interesting and there are a lot of friendly players. Even when I first came here not understanding the language, they spoke to me in very simple English and took me somewhere. There are a lot of friendly players, so it's really easy to work with them.
T: Have you become better at communicating?
Tarumi: It feels like I'm better than before. But I still have a long way to go. I've gotten used to the volleyball terms used during matches, but it's still difficult to use in my daily life.
T: From here we will move on to the playoff quarter-finals, where we will face Trento (Trentino), who finished in first place.
Tarumi: It became Trento?! Trento...Perugia was good lol. I thought Perugia was good for everything. If I was going to play, I wanted to play with a Japanese player (Ishikawa) Yuki, and Perugia was the closest location. I hoped Perugia would be the best... Well, Trento has a lot of players with strong defense and good spikes. But I'm not saying we should just go all out, but if we pass in 8th place, I think it's important to not think too much about it and just have fun and go for it, so I'm not sure I can do it by myself, but I hope we can all lead the team and go for it in a good atmosphere.
T: What are your plans for next season (to the extent that you can tell)?
Tarumi: I hope to stay in Italy. I don't want to go back to Japan yet, so I want to hone myself in a high-level environment in preparation for the next Olympics, and so I hope to continue playing volleyball overseas.
T: I'm rooting for you. Thank you.
This year, six Japanese players, both male and female, are playing in the Italian league, but Tarumi is the only one who has never played in an official match for the Japanese senior national team and has never been a starter for his Japanese team. I would like to keep an eye on his challenge to see if he will be able to rise from here.
Photo: legapallavolo.it, photo by author
English 
Japanese