Omimi couldn't help but sigh with emotion, "So reliable, Shinsuke—"
In comparison, only the Libero of Fukurodani could be considered the primary person in charge of defense, even he seemed somewhat overwhelmed when facing the serves of Miya Atsumu, Aran, the others.
Touch!
After encountering the ball spiked by Aran, Miura quickly retreated to prepare for an attack.
Miura knew that he was an overambitious person.
During elementary school, because of his outstanding height and athletic talent, the youth team coach once believed he had the talent to go professional.
But after entering junior high school.. the cold reality of the rain struck his face, piercing him to the bone.
Despite being called highly talented by his coach, he became nothing more than a stepping stone for those true geniuses.
Whether it was Owari Aran of his own age, Wakamura Souya, or even the Miya Twins who were one year younger than him, they defeated him time and time again, forcing him to retreat in disgrace, leaving him further and further from his goal of reaching the Nationals..
The speed at which this genius rose was so incredible that even the coach who gave him his first introduction to volleyball found it unbelievable.
Countless failures had already made it crystal clear to him—he was just an ordinary person.
But.. if things continue like this, can he truly be content?
A shout from the Libero rang out from behind, "I've got it!"
The volleyball flew high into the air, landing perfectly in the hands of the Setter.
On the sidelines, Hinata watched the defensive positioning of Karasuno intently.
This was already the countless time he had seen the volleyball being sent up steadily, just like when he had seen Nekoma's volleyball before.
If it were a team with the Setter as the absolute center, this level of reception would definitely allow the Setter to perform to his full potential.
He suddenly remembered the words Aran-senpai often repeated.
—A true Ace is one who can both attack and defend.
The meaning of defense is to turn a passive situation into an active one, giving the entire team another opportunity to attack and score.
And as the true brain of the team, Miya Atsumu, who could devote himself entirely to tactical coordination..
Hinata suddenly spoke up, "He'll definitely be very strong."
Resting on the bench, Suna turned his head to look at him, lost in thought, but ultimately lowered his head without saying anything.
"Atsumu!" Akagi called out to Miya Atsumu.
After Miya Atsumu entered his second year, Inarizaki's overall tactics were basically centered around the Miya Twins' Quick Attack.
In this match, Coach Kurosu intentionally chose to hide the Quick Attack, while also aiming to stabilize the defense in case the opponent's Middle Blocker could frequently jump over the block, so he substituted in Kita.
This also means that their playstyle will be more similar to Shiratorizawa's, relying on their main spikers and Suna Rintaro as a firepower coverage point to break open the game.
For Miya Atsumu, this was undoubtedly an interesting new challenge.
With Aran drawing fire at the front row, Miya Atsumu decisively gave the ball to Ginjima who was jumping from the back row.
Ginjima's proficiency with back-row spikes is not yet as high as Aran's.
Last year, he also only started getting playing opportunities during the Haruko alongside Miya Osamu and the others, so he is somewhat lacking in terms of experience.
"Touch!" Miura successfully touched the ball once again, the libero from Minetai followed up immediately, sending the ball to the Setter.
Give me the ball!
The wing spiker called for the ball, at the same time, Miura himself moved quickly behind the setter to prepare to cover the attack.
Inarizaki's blockers quickly split into two paths to defend against both players simultaneously.
The volleyball left the hands and went straight to Miura.
As someone capable of consistently performing overhand spikes, Miura didn't study various technical plays much, especially since he rarely had the chance to use them.
Although Oori's jump height was high, it still couldn't compare to his, given his full approach.
Over the Block, his field of vision was wide and clear.
Akagi decisively took a step toward his right, his hands poised at his sides, ready to receive the ball at any moment.
He certainly knew that Taishima was a Middle Blocker who wasn't skilled at technical plays, so..
His anticipation was quite good.
As the sound of the spike rang out, Akagi bent his knees, lowering his center of gravity as much as possible to absorb the impact.
His judgment was not off by a single inch; this position was perfect for receiving the ball head-on.
In the next instant, the volleyball flew steadily to a position just a step away from Miya Atsumu's side.
Nice kill!
Hinata froze for a moment. "Eh? It's right in front of me."
Is this.. luck?
Coach Kurosu said, "It's anticipation."
"Anticipation?" Hinata asked in confusion.
Watching the next rally unfold on the court, Coach Kurosu explained patiently, "For Spikers who aren't good at varying their shot patterns, their spiking direction can be judged by their body orientation and contact point."
An experienced Libero can create opportunities for themselves to make a direct receive by observing the players' body orientation and contact point before they spike.
The one who currently does this best.. would probably be Nekoma's Yaku.
Hinata looked thoughtful.
Observation. It was all about observation.
Coach Kurosu took the initiative to suggest, "So, besides the overall coordination and the techniques themselves, Shoyo, you can also try observing the various spiking motions on both sides and where the balls finally land; you might find some unexpected gains."
Coach.." Hinata glanced at Suna beside him, trying to apply what he had learned, "Is this kind of observation useless for referencing a playstyle like Suna-senpai's?
Coach Kurosu gave a thumbs up: "Smart."
Rintaro's playstyle is unique; even after jumping, he can still change the ball's trajectory. Blindly making predictions will only lead to being misled, which is something Rintaro is quite skilled at.
Most of the time, the opposing team's receiving lineup can only rely on their reaction speed.
Hinata stared at Suna with burning eyes.
Is even predicting it useless? Then wouldn't suppressing the opponent's defense be incredibly easy?
He couldn't help but clench his fists. "Ohhh, that's incredible!"
Coach Kurosu wagged a finger: "This is also why Rintaro can become part of our firepower coverage along with Aran."
"Firepower coverage point—that sounds so cool!" Hinata became even more excited.
This kind of chuunibyou-style, yet undeniably real, title is something boys of this age simply cannot resist.
Suna turned his head, contemplating whether he should go and stand in the waiting area.
Coach Kurosu added fuel to the fire: "Shoyo can do it too."
Hinata's eyes sparkled: "Yes!"
Across the net, Miura bit his lower lip and raised his hands in front of his body once again under the predatory gazes of the foxes opposite him.
This was a preparatory movement for a block, something almost etched into his very bones, becoming a pure instinct.
To just admit that he was inferior to those geniuses..
Can you accept that?
Watching Owari Aran jump once again on the other side of the net, Miura slowly lowered his center of gravity, storing power in his legs.
His eyes were burning with intensity, fixed on Aran's movements from beginning to end without shifting even a fraction.
The speed of the Setter's toss, the timing of the Spiker's jump, the force of his previous spikes, the angle of his habitual spiking hand..
Miura carefully considered all the information he could gather, extracting the most critical parts and synthesizing them into what he needed.
No sport can be won through sheer brute force alone.
Just right, he felt that his own brain was quite sufficient.
At almost the same time as the ball arrived, Miura converted his downward momentum into upward thrust and leaped high into the air.
His whole body formed a C-shape as he pressed his wrists downward, steadily blocking the path of Aran's Spike.
Accompanied by a bone-chilling impact, the volleyball was slammed down, falling straight into the Inarizaki court.
Kita and Akagi both lunged from the diagonal rear, but they were both a step too late.
The volleyball hit the ground heavily and then bounced high into the air.
The whistle blew, the head referee signaled that the block was valid; Minega scored.
The Inarizaki Setter, who hadn't even had time to jump, stared at Miura in a daze, his face written with shock.
Wakamura, who was secretly observing this Inarizaki semifinal from the sidelines, widened his eyes: "My god.."
A single person blocked Owari Aran? Is this a scene that could ever appear in a regional qualifier?
He looked at Matou beside him, his eyes questioning if he could do it.
Matou Yukimaru pushed up the black-rimmed glasses on the bridge of his nose: "Obviously, I can't."
Only at this moment did the court seem to truly come to life.
Miura clenched his fist tightly. "Yes!!"
Miura! That was amazing!
Nice play!!
Even Inarizaki's own supporters were cheering for the opponent's play: "What a beautiful block by Mine!"
Don't worry about it," Kita said, clapping his hands. "That play from the opposition was indeed beautiful, but it won't work every time.
Being able to block it solo was mostly due to luck; besides, they were leading by a large margin now, so there was absolutely no need to be nervous.
Watching the Taishima members hugging and cheering on the opposite side, Oori nodded. "That block was indeed decisive and clean."
Aran also nodded. "The timing was perfect."
Miya Atsumu gave a thumbs up: "So cool."