⑪ vs Poland ●0-3(14-25, 18-25, 19-25)
Takanashi's spikes Photo by FIVB
First set starting lineup (serving order)
Japan
MB16 Kentaro Takahashi, S12 Sekita, OH17 Takanashi, MB15 Lee, OP19 Otsuka, OH5 Fukuzawa, L24 Ogawa
Poland
OH16 Semeniuk, MB20 Bieniek, OP2 Muzaj, OH21 Fornal, MB77 Kuos, S12 Womacz, L17 Zatorski
I was excited even before the match that day. Not only because the opponent was Poland, but also because Nishida Yuto was on the bench for the first time in this tournament! I've been waiting for Nishida! I don't know how long I've been waiting for Nishida! I didn't know if he would be in the starting lineup or if we were just waiting to see how it went, but I couldn't contain my excitement before the match! lol
As a result, Nishida started on the bench instead of in the starting lineup. Ishikawa also started on the bench, and the starting lineup was made up of B members. Japan seemed to be approaching this match with the understanding that it was a throwaway game. Poland, on the other hand, did not have the "Three Musketeers" of Krek, Kubiak, and Leon, but the substitutes on the wings were young but talented. The outside hitters were Fornal, who won the Polish League last season, and Semeniuk, who won the European Champions League. The opposite was Muzai, who played as a starter in the Russian League and played for Perugia in Serie A in the playoffs, contributing to the team's runner-up finish in the league. It's really strange for Poland to have these guys on the bench (lol). It's fine to think of it as a throwaway game, but I want them to do their best even in that situation. The match started with me hoping that it wouldn't turn out like the Argentina match.
Poland was already in control of the match from the beginning. Muzai's spikes were so high. He was completely slammed down from the top of the Japanese block. So, at 5-8, Nishida was brought in to replace Fukuzawa with a pin-up! His first serve of the tournament unfortunately hit the net, but it was good to see him in good spirits. After that, Nishida remained with Otsuka, the opposite, playing the role of outside hitter for only two rotations, and when he reached position 5, he was replaced by Fukuzawa again (no spike chance came). After that, Japan continued to make good side-outs to prevent the score difference from being widened, but they made many serve errors and were unable to create a break chance. The quicks were very decisive, but the side hitters were not in good form, and Fukuzawa in particular was unable to score a single spike in this set. His reception was also disrupted. Fukuzawa is by far the worst performer among the outside hitters in this tournament. This will not be a reward for Yanagida, who was left out. Get your act together. The score difference widened again from the middle of the game, and before we knew it, we lost the first set by a large margin of 14-25. Poland is certainly strong, but it didn't seem like Japan was doing so badly or self-destructing, rather than Poland being amazing. Eight serve errors in just this set is too many.
Opposite Muzai showed overwhelming height. Photo by FIVB
The second set. As expected, the members were unchanged. It played out almost the same as the first set. There was a moment when it looked like they might make a comeback with Oya's serve, but that didn't happen. Nishida was brought in just like in the first set, and missed his serve again, but then scored his first point with a back attack! Still, they lost this set 18-25. Takahashi Kentaro missed all of his serves up to this point. It's a shame, considering his spikes and blocks were good. I was feeling like I wonder if the third set will be the same as the match against Argentina, and if the starting lineup is the same in the third set, I might stop watching (lol).
The third set. The bench must have heard my voice because they made some moves. In this set, OP Otake, S Oya, and Otsuka were OH and Fukuzawa was out. Takahashi was also replaced by Yamauchi. Coach Nakagauchi, well done (lol). Poland's Fornal scored a service ace from the beginning, but for some reason the Japanese court looked brighter. Nishida also replaced Otake and played only in the back, and finally served. It wasn't an ace, but it was a sharp serve. Poland was leading throughout the match, but it was finally a match, and it was a situation where Poland was leading because Poland was good, not because Japan was bad. Takanashi had a 100% success rate in this set. It's a shame that if they had done this from the second set, it would have been a more interesting match. Even in the final stages, Fornal was defeated by a serve again and the score was 19-25, but it was good to see a slightly brighter match at the end.
Poland's Fornal, who played well in this match, is the same age as Takanashi. Takanashi was a new graduate rookie in the V-League last season, but Fornal was the world champion in the U-19 and U-21 divisions, and last year won the Polish first division Przliga league in his fifth season. He's so elite. But even Fornal is not guaranteed to be included in the 12-man Olympic team, and it's actually a bit of a risk. Poland has too many players... But I think Takanashi is doing a great job in this tournament, so I hope he does well! His offensive power is especially second among the outside players.
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