And from a certain perspective, there was no better position than that of the head referee.
The Shiratorizawa Third String players, finally able to relax, let out a sigh of relief, after announcing Itachiyama's victory, quickly climbed down from the ladder.
Hinata, acting as a referee for the first time, was somewhat excited.
I just need to call ball handling, double contacts, net touches, over-the-net hits.. right?
Hinata's refereeing went quite smoothly, this was indeed the best vantage point for watching the aerial battle.
When Sakusa rushed over to his side to spike, he could even clearly see the movement of the opponent's wrist and the shift in his gaze during the split second of the clash with the block.
Both sides were playing very carefully and hardly gave Hinata any chance to call a foul; the only instance was when Amatori from Itachiyama touched the net during a spike.
"Give me the ball!" Goshiki Tsutomu shouted, calling for the toss.
Under normal circumstances, Shirabu wouldn't pay him any mind, but this time was different; Ushijima had just been forced to save Amatori's ball that smashed through the net, leaving him unable to get into position for an attack in time.
Goshiki also moved quickly to the side of the net, preparing to jump and spike after his approach.
Hinata instantly realized that Goshiki's approach was actually earlier than the time it would take for the ball to reach the hitting point.
Which means.. this actually wasn't Goshiki's normal jumping timing.
—The Spiker's individual timing difference.
Hinata widened his eyes, watching Goshiki Tsutomu's movements very carefully.
This was the first time he had seen Goshiki use a time difference, it was clearly evident that he was not that proficient at it.
As it turned out, this unrefined time difference was no way to deceive an experienced Middle Blocker, not to mention that the Setter's set itself wasn't particularly deceptive.
Agatsuma wasn't fooled at all; instead, he waited until the ball from the Setter landed near where Goshiki would strike before jumping.
Itachiyama's jump this time was primarily aimed at restricting the direction of the spike, leaving space for the straight shot along the sideline that Goshiki Tsutomu is best at.
Hinata frowned.
From what he had seen over these few sets, Itachiyama's number 4 Middle Blocker, Agatsuma, had a very aggressive blocking style; he would basically shut down a spike entirely rather than just limiting its direction.
Of course, this also leads to a higher frequency of errors, so the pressure on the back-row reception remains very high.
But as Coach Washijo said, Itachiyama's receiving skills are very strong, especially the Libero Komori and the Ace Sakusa, whose receiving efficiency is very high.
As it turned out, Hinata's initial intuition was correct.
At the exact moment Goshiki Tsutomu was about to spike, Agatsuma twisted his upper body from his jumping posture, forcing the block that had been to Goshiki's side to adjust into a one-handed block directly in the ball's path.
This ball.. is going to be blocked.
Hinata thought that at this moment, he should start rushing forward to prepare for a save.
But that was from his perspective; due to the vertical height difference on the court and the issues with obstructed vision, it was actually very difficult for the others on the court to make a judgment.
The next second, with a loud thud, the volleyball fell toward the Shiratorizawa court at an extremely high speed. Yamagata and Ushijima from the back row both lunged for it at the same time, but neither could save it.
Just as expected! It was blocked!
Hinata's expression lit up with excitement for a brief moment, then he blew his whistle and raised his hand, signaling a point for the side of Itachiyama.
Agatsuma-senpai is indeed incredible; his reaction speed is the fastest he has ever seen in a Middle Blocker.
No wonder when Suna-senpai mentioned him before, he always emphasized how disgusting it was.
It was completely like waiting for a rabbit to come to one's feet, setting a trap and waiting for the opponent to jump into it themselves.
Of course, this was also a sign of extreme confidence in his own abilities.
After all, Goshiki Tsutomu's spiking level was still reliable, the speed of his straight shots was quite fast; even if an average person knew a spike was coming, they wouldn't dare block him like that.
If it were his attack, what would he do?
A wide spread? A high jump ball?
Recalling Hoshiumi from memory, combining that with the movements of Goshiki Tsutomu just observed..
No, the optimal strategy should be to use a time difference to lure the opponent into jumping early, then score by using a decoy.
It would indeed be difficult to implement, but the success rate should be quite high.
If the timing were a bit more skilled, Atsumu-senpai could provide even better cover; combined with his own advantage in jumping ability, if the issue with his hang time were improved, he should be able to break through successfully.
If his power could be just a little greater, he could drive the ball high and far after the hand contact, leaving the opponent no chance to save it.
The intensity of the matches between Shiratorizawa and Itachiyama was extremely high, so the practice matches ended after the sixth set was completed around four in the afternoon, followed by a period of collective basic training.
Under Coach Washijo's strict supervision, today's receiving drills were extended significantly, even included the counterattack practice that everyone hated.
Tsutomu! Where are your hands? Where are your hands? Reach out!
Iizuna! Is your back leg stuck in the mud or something? Why aren't you following up?!
Shoyo! You'll only be happy once your hand breaks, won't you! How many times have I told you, don't press your wrist down! Don't press it down!!
Listening to Coach Washijo's roaring from the sidelines, Itachiyama's coach Utsunomiya and Himemiya didn't dare say a single word.
They could only watch as their own teammates were scolded like little chicks, not daring to even breathe loudly.
After spending nearly an hour rolling around on the floor, they finally entered the self-training session that Hinata had been looking forward to so much.
He really missed Coach Kurosu; he had just been scolded mercilessly.
For some reason, Coach Washijo scolded him and Goshiki especially often, even though the other seniors were rarely scolded.
Watching Coach Washijo leave with eyes full of respect, Hinata held the ball and looked at Goshiki Tsutomu, his eyes brimming with anticipation: "Akari! You promised yesterday!"
—He tossed the ball, Goshiki came in for the spike.
Having also almost been scolded into a state of social withdrawal, Goshiki finally regained a bit of the feeling of being alive. He nodded, "Okay."
But just thirty seconds later, he wanted to travel back in time to slap himself.
Forget about setting it to the net, Hinata's shot flew straight to the adjacent court, giving him no chance to spike it at all.
"Error, error! One more time!" Hinata tried to make an excuse.
The second set was decent, but only compared to the first one. This set was extremely close to the net, barely avoiding being sent straight over it.
This kind of ball is impossible to spike; even in a normal match, players would just choose to hit it straight into the net.
After all.. anyone who spikes would hit the net, including Kiryu.
Under the watchful, spectator-like gaze of Iizuna from the sidelines, Goshiki was forced to retreat after only seven spikes.
This isn't training his ability to spike the ball poorly; this is testing his heart's endurance..
He felt that even if Shirabu's form was at its worst, he still wouldn't be able to set a ball like that.
Under Goshiki's accusatory gaze, Hinata said honestly, "It's been a long time since I last did a back set.."
The last time he set a ball was back when he did it for Rishia.
Goshiki tried to suggest, "How about we just switch to someone else?"
He would rather focus on teaching Hinata how to receive a ball than continue being tortured. He did enjoy a challenge, but not this kind.
Iizuna, looking very happy, stopped his serving drill and took the initiative to suggest to the two of them, "Then how about a three-on-three? Inamura and the others went to practice blocking specifically, so it's the perfect time for me to use you two to try out a few tactics."
"Long live Iizuna-senpai!" Hinata cheered.
"Alright, no problem!" Goshiki also finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Iizuna grabbed Sakusa, who was about to walk away: "Don't run, a single game of three-on-three won't take long. We'll play to 21 points; just treat it as practice for your spikes."
Besides, this isn't a communal bathhouse; you can wash whenever you want.
Sakusa remained silent for a while before finally stopping in his tracks: "Just one set, and.. I refuse to be on the same team as people who play poorly."
—Specifically Hinata, who just sent that set all the way to the neighboring court.
Letting him spike a ball like that.. I'd rather just give him a quick end.
After speaking, Sakusa looked at Hinata on the other side.
He had thought Hinata would show a hurt expression, but unexpectedly, he saw the other person appearing to be lost in thought.
Hinata rubbed his chin.
Wait, that sentence.. why does it sound so familiar?
So Iizuna looked at Ushijima, who was on the other side serving alone: "Ushijima, let's play three-on-three!"
So, the ones eventually standing on opposite sides of the net were Ushijima, Sakusa, Amatori, Iizuna, Goshiki, Hinata.
Komori, whose stamina was running a bit low, found himself a rather good position—the head referee.
Compared to Hinata, who was eager to test his skills on the other side, Goshiki Tsutomu looked incredibly nervous right now, with even a few beads of cold sweat forming at his temples.
Standing face-to-face with Ushijima-senpai on opposite sides of the net.. the sense of pressure is overwhelming, with Sakusa there, who had left him unable to fight back earlier today, it's even more terrifying.
While simply tidying up the court, which was a bit messy after the recent practice, Goshiki suddenly asked Hinata beside him, "Inarizaki should have one last training camp before the Interhigh, right?"
Itachiyama will stay here for about a week. Actually, the members of Sannomiya Industrial from Akita who are part of this training camp will arrive a bit later.
The training camp arrangements before the Interhigh are basically like unwritten rules between the various high schools.
Hinata nodded. "Yeah, I'm leaving the day after tomorrow at noon and heading straight to Osaka with my things."
The summer training camp was ultimately arranged at Kaifang. Although the level of the men's volleyball team at Kaifang isn't particularly strong, their women's volleyball and kendo teams are both nationally elite, the school itself is a prestigious private institution. In terms of the environment, it's actually not much different from Inubushi Higashi.
—It just means we might need to borrow a venue from the girls' volleyball team.
“Kaifang..” Komori Motoya rubbed his chin, "I remember their women's volleyball team is from the Fukurodani Alliance?"
Itachiyama didn't hold fixed training camps like that; instead, relying on the coach's extensive connections, they were able to change their training camp locations two or three times every year.
When it came to topics he was familiar with, Hinata raised his hand enthusiastically and said, "I know this one! Kenma and Kageyama's group are also part of the Fukurodani Alliance!"
Komori laughed. "Ah, Kenma is that unmotivated Setter from Nekoma, right?"
This impression was truly profound, mainly because Iizuna-senpai held a deep grudge, which pressured them to practice their serve reception accuracy.
But.. the results were limited, as Nekoma's defensive system wasn't suitable for everyone.
Speaking of which, Komori couldn't help but exclaim, "Yaku-senpai is truly amazing."
They are a completely different type than Nekoma. With Yaku there, Nekoma's defensive successes are truly guaranteed to always have both quantity and quality.
Moreover, Yaku is even better at receiving than he is, when it comes to pure defense, he is indeed impeccable.