This kind of spike usually isn't hit particularly deep, after smashing through the block, a back-row attack will generally continue to fall toward the ground.
Hinata lowered his center of gravity, staring intently at Oori Ren in front of him, who was blocking.
Goshiki Tsutomu's feint was already falling toward the ground, his gaze was also drawn toward Hinata.
That move was quite good. Hinata's serves are mediocre, but he should be quite good at receiving.
At first, this guy's reaction was quite fast; was that receive an accident?
This time, Hinata's judgment was slightly off; Ushijima's spike did not land in the front row as Hinata had anticipated, but instead was spiked toward the backline.
Because of the semi-overhand serve, the ball had already touched Miya Atsumu's fingers, so even if it went out of bounds, it would still be a point for Shiratorizawa.
Hinata and Miya Osamu retreated simultaneously to prepare for a save; being closer, Hinata was the first to call out, "I've got it!"
Miya Osamu pulled back his hand, watching Hinata move into position to try and receive the ball, he also quickly realized Hinata's problem.
—His center of gravity is too far back; he'll be knocked over by the ball.
And that was indeed the case.
Ushijima's spike had immense power, combined with that spin, Hinata felt the world spinning before his eyes the moment he made contact with the ball.
By the time he regained his senses, he was already on the ground.
The volleyball flew high into the air and landed back on Shiratorizawa's side.
"Sorry!" Hinata hurriedly scrambled up from the ground.
His reception on that ball was absolutely terrible..
It seems that merely being able to judge the trajectory of the ball is far from enough; whether or not one can actually receive it is the real key.
Even though he indeed has a gap in strength compared to Ushijima and the others, that is no excuse for him to fail to receive the ball.
Yaku-senpai's height is similar to his, his build isn't much different either, yet he can steadily control the spikes from Aran-senpai and the others.
He must also work harder.
Coach Kurosu nodded inwardly. Although the reception just now wasn't very good, at least Hinata had learned how to use his judgment to try and make his arms make direct contact with the volleyball.
However, he actually should have chosen to perform a diving save for this ball; unfortunately, Hinata hasn't mastered this skill at this stage.
We should focus on developing Hinata's awareness of diving to receive the ball.
"Free ball!" Yamagata Hayato shouted, quickly moving in to receive the ball.
"Give me the ball!" Goshiki Tsutomu raised his hand, demanding the ball.
Hinata's high ball was truly impressive, making him feel a bit restless.
Seeing Goshiki's impulse at a glance, Shirabu completely ignored his request for the ball and instead gave it to Ushijima Wakatoshi once again.
The Ace jumped for the countlessth time, smashing the ball down with absolute faithfulness.
With a heavy thud, Hinata, who had tried to receive the ball once again, fell to the ground, completely missing the reception this time.
Pulling Hinata up, Miya Atsumu immediately demonstrated to him: "Shoyo, lean your center of gravity forward, like this."
Akagi slapped Miya Atsumu's hand away and demonstrated to Hinata again: "Don't mislead the youth; your form isn't standard either. It should be like this, with your legs spread slightly wider.."
How long has it been since Atsumu-senpai even performed a spike, yet here he is, teaching others.
Hinata's situation was completely different from Miya Atsumu's, especially regarding the stability of his lower body. If he used Miya Atsumu's demonstration method, he'd end up destroying his ankles.
Miya Atsumu was completely defeated.
After correcting Hinata's form, Akagi continued, "Shoyo, you can try a diving save to receive it. Even if your hands don't touch it, it's fine as long as your arms or back make contact."
"Understood!" Hinata nodded.
Yamagata Hayato looked at Ushijima Wakatoshi: "That little guy's receiving skills are quite mediocre; can we target him?"
Ushijima nodded. "Yeah."
With such a huge opening laid out right in front of them, it would be a shame not to take full advantage of it.
And for a long time afterward, Shiratorizawa specifically targeted Hinata.
While Hinata was adapting to the feeling of being targeted, he was also rapidly learning the essentials of receiving, as Akagi used the actual match to continuously feed him knowledge.
After Oori's serve, Akagi was able to free himself up to help Hinata with his receives; with Miya Osamu on the other side, they were still able to hold their ground.
However, after being suppressed in the back row for so long, Hinata felt quite frustrated.
But his poor receiving was his own problem, so he could only endure it.
The only somewhat comforting thing is that the score difference remains very stable for now; after all, Aran's offensive capabilities have become even stronger since he was subbed in.
The serve passed to Aran, Hinata also moved to the front row.
Akagi received Ohira Shion's spike, sending it steadily into Miya Atsumu's hands.
"Give me the ball!" Hinata Shoyo shouted, calling for the toss; he needed to spike a high ball from behind the head to soothe his somewhat restless heart.
On the other side, Miya Osamu had also rushed to Position 2 to perform a pipe attack, while Suna-senpai was performing a standard pipe.
The rhythm of all three was incredibly fast, Suna's jumping figure partially blocked Miya Atsumu, who was setting from behind, making it so Tendo couldn't see Miya Atsumu's setting motion at all.
“Shoyo!” Miya Atsumu shouted Hinata's name.
Tendo didn't believe Miya Atsumu's childish ruse at all; after all, he relied on his own intuition.
Thinking this, Tendo closed his eyes and made a blind guess for Miya Osamu.
In the next second, the ball in Miya Atsumu's hands was sent via the shortest route to Owari Aran, who had stepped forward near position 5 in the back row to add an extra touch.
Completely missing the ball, Tendo shouted, "You guessed wrong!"
Inarizaki is cheating! It was supposed to be one out of three, but they actually came up with a fourth option!
Aran clenched his fist tightly: "That was awesome!"
Landing on the ground, Hinata turned his head to look at Miya Atsumu, his eyes filled with the grievance of someone whose feelings had been toyed with.
If he wasn't going to use him as bait, that would be one thing, but Miya Atsumu had just called his name, yet it still wasn't for him.
Miya Atsumu averted his gaze, feeling incredibly guilty as he avoided eye contact with Hinata Shoyo.
Miya Osamu, who was also being used as bait, glanced at Miya Atsumu.
What is wrong with this guy? Why is he acting so guilty? Shouldn't he be saying with righteous indignation that this is all just tactics? Why is he treating them differently?
Hinata looked back and locked eyes with Goshiki Tsutomu on the other side of the net.
The two of them caught a sense of shared suffering in each other's eyes, Goshiki suddenly found Hinata much more tolerable.
But this sense of familiarity was completely shattered by Hinata's Quick Attack in the next round.
Hinata's speed.. it's simply ridiculous, the way he receives makes it even more infuriating!
Aran, having completely shaken off the pressure, also demonstrated an offensive capability that was not at all inferior to Ushijima's, rapidly widening the gap with Shiratorizawa through coordination with quick attacks on both sides.
By the time Rishia Heisuke finished adjusting and returned to the court, more than half of the match had already passed.
Shirabu quickly exchanged a glance with Kawanishi.
When Aran was on the court, it was difficult for them to target Miya Atsumu, after all, Aran's receiving skills were very high, but once the new players were substituted in, they became much easier to deal with.
After Shiratorizawa adjusted their tactical focus, the gap that Aran had originally widened was gradually narrowed, but they ultimately failed to turn the tide before the end.
The second set ended with Inarizaki winning 25:23.
Coach Washijo said nothing as he watched the Shiratorizawa members walk back, as there was no reason to complain about the loss in this set. After all, they had been caught off guard by the opponent's carefully prepared tactics; not losing too heavily was already quite impressive.
And what he cares about now is..
Washijo caught a glimpse of Hinata walking back toward the Inarizaki members alongside Miya Atsumu.
Mobility and jumping ability are impeccable, his serves are average, his receiving isn't very good, but..
Recalling Hinata's state when he first started receiving and the final few balls, Washijo's expression became even more solemn.
This kind of growth potential is probably the most surprising part.
However, limited by his most significant disadvantage, height, he still does not believe Hinata can go any further.
This state is likely already what Inarizaki aims to achieve; it won't get any better than this.
Both sides entered a temporary halftime break. They could play as many sets as they wanted in this practice match; after all, the opportunity to face each other before the Interhigh was still very important.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Coach Kurosu, who had already made up his mind, walked around the net toward the Shiratorizawa side.
He briefly explained Hinata's situation to Washijo and appropriately expressed his wish to have Hinata placed under his care.
In short, that's the situation," Coach Kurosu said with a full face of smiles. "Shoyo is still a novice, having only started learning volleyball about a year ago. He might need your patience if there's anything he doesn't understand.
His face was written with pride, just like how Washijo Tanji had subtly shown off Goshiki Tsutomu to him before.
Look at my kid! Isn't he amazing!
Able to run and jump, with top-tier execution and an incredibly fast learning speed, his potential is off the charts.
Hearing Kurosu's words, Coach Washijo clearly froze for a moment.
But then he snorted, showing no kindness to Kurosu: "You manage your own players; we, Shiratorizawa, have no obligation to manage other people's members."
No amount of talk will work. Once today's practice match is over, take your people and leave immediately.
This fox kid, coming here with demands after winning only two matches..
Kurosu acted as if he didn't hear the dismissal in Washijo's tone: "Thank you, Coach Washijo. I'll leave my kid in your hands."
Having been sent back from Shiratorizawa, Coach Kurosu said seriously to Hinata, "It's settled. Shoyo, go and say hello to Coach Washijo."
Coach Omimi's expression was one of shock.
They didn't agree at all! Every word they said was a refusal!
Coach Kurosu patted Hinata on the back, pushing him toward the direction of Shiratorizawa: "Be more sincere, this is a great opportunity."
Shiratorizawa has been established for nearly twice as long as Inarizaki, it possesses a much deeper foundation in volleyball as well, making it a true King of the entire Tohoku region of Japan.
Moreover, Coach Washijo has been in his position much longer than he has, so the things he can teach will inevitably be far more extensive.
For Hinata Shoyo, not a single day should be wasted; rather than conducting physical training on his own without supervision, it would be better to have a coach guide him.
It all depends on whether Hinata can seize this opportunity..