In the first match of the second half of the Italian men's volleyball league Serie A, 10th-placed Padova, the team Takahashi Ai plays for, played away to 2nd-placed Modena on Sunday, December 18th local time, and lost 0-3 (23-25, 20-25, 23-25).
The report of this match is here:
After the match, Padova's Takahashi Ai gave us a comment.
-How do you feel looking back on today's game?
Takahashi: My play was very good and I was able to enter the match in a good shape today. But as the second half is about to start, the start is very important, so I made some corrections and thought about a lot of things in myself, and I think I was able to enter the match in a very good shape in terms of my play, but as a team, we were unable to take a set and ended up 3-0... I think each of us needs to seek out more ways to win in this final stage, or what is needed to win against such an opponent. Of course, Padova has many young players, and they are all inexperienced, so in order to win, we need to focus on taking sets in matches like this and creating our own rhythm, which was a challenge I saw today.
- Takahashi, personally, you were in really good form (the most points on the team with 17 (1 of which was on serve), attack success rate of 621 TP3T (0 points conceded), etc.), but why do you think you were able to improve your form so much?
Takahashi: First of all, this first half of the season was something I didn't know much about. When the Italian league season first started, I had no idea how to go about it as a spiker, or what rhythm I should be in when playing the games. So playing through that first half, if you ask me whether I was always able to play well, or show the power of 100%, it's not always the case, so when I couldn't, or when I felt like I wasn't feeling quite right today, it was about how I could improve my performance. I learned a lot throughout this first half of the season, and through that learning, how can I put it, I was able to really see for myself the height of my spikes and what my current potential is throughout the first half of the season. I started off really well today, using my height to my advantage, and looking carefully at the opponent's court and spiking there, so I'm sure there will be tough moments in the second half too, but I need to use what I learned in the first half and focus on how to perform when you're not at your best, which is very important as a volleyball player or an athlete, so when you're doing well, that's fine and I hope to keep up that momentum, but when you're doing badly, can I improve my play, or at least improve my overall performance?I think that's something I learned a lot from the first half.
-Today's opponent, Modena, won the first half 3-2, but this time we lost 0-3. What was different from the last match?
Takahashi: Of course, I think that both teams were able to improve in many ways throughout the first half of the game, and also identified areas where they needed to improve. Of course, Modena's opening match was also played when both teams were not yet fully developed, so as the teams improved after that, when they actually played, they were unable to win sets, so I think that this shows that their volleyball is more accurate, or that they are able to do what they want. Of course, being a home game makes it easier or more difficult, but fundamentally, I think that the clear reason for our loss in today's match was that we simply weren't able to get the ball we wanted, and we couldn't push when we wanted to.
-Now that the first half of the season is over and you've played against all the teams, which player has left the biggest impression on you?
Takahashi: I guess it would be Semeniuk (OH, Perugia). Semeniuk is young, and I was impressed by how he plays so stably in every match. As for setters, it would have to be Dececco (S, Civitanova). Of course I have an image of him, but I really like his toss work, and the way he seems to enjoy playing, so I think his way of thinking about volleyball and how he plays is interesting.
-Next week you'll be racing against Roubaix Civitanova, where Dececco is also a rider.
Takahashi: That's right. I'll be up against Bottro (laughs). There have been a lot of changes in Roubaix, like positions. So I don't know how it will turn out, but I'm sure it won't be the same as the first half. We need to be able to push again and take the sets we can, and there were plenty of moments in every set today where it looked like we were going to have the momentum, so I think it's important in a match to bring the momentum to our side.
-Were you interested in the World Cup final? (laughs) (The FIFA World Cup final was taking place until just before this match).
Takahashi: I was curious. What was the outcome?
-Argentina won the tournament after a penalty shootout.
Takahashi: Argentina!? Well, it's new. I thought it would be France for the second tournament in a row, but Argentina's aggressiveness was amazing. Both teams came to win, but the way they looked determined to win was amazing. I couldn't watch it until the end, but it was amazing. As fellow athletes, we get courage and inspiration from them.
-By the way, how are you planning to spend Christmas?
Takahashi: My family is coming over for Christmas, so I'll spend it with them. Well, I have a game coming up, so it'll be the day before the game.
- That's great. Good luck in Roubaix next week!
Takahashi: Yes, I'll do my best!
Photo: Lega Pallavolo Series A
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