Rishia Heisuke clenched his fists tightly: "Alright!"
He had only started practicing this kind of serve a month ago, the approach itself was the biggest difficulty, so the overall success rate wasn't very high.
Even that ball that looked so perfect just now actually had some small mistakes.
Because he was trying his best to control his final step so as not to step on the line, he held back a bit during the spike, causing the ball to go straight toward the Libero.
—Fortunately, the result was good.
Yamagata Hayato looked at Ushijima Wakatoshi with some uncertainty: "Wakatoshi, that just now was.."
Ushijima nodded: "Yeah, that's right."
Coach Unabara, standing by the sidelines, rubbed his chin. "That is interesting. That kind of starting style is something new from the track and field team, isn't it?"
Hibari Kotaro nodded. "It is indeed rare to see that being used in volleyball.."
He paused for a moment, then suddenly said, "No, when I was reviewing Ushijima's qualifications for the national team a while ago, I happened to skim through the footage of their Interhigh regional finals."
"Huh?" Unabara Uta blinked, not understanding what the other person was trying to say.
Hibari Kotaro continued, "The opponent Shiratorizawa faced back then was Aobajohsai.. the same school whose entire track and field team was suspended a few years ago. Their captain, the setter, used this kind of approach for his serves."
That player is indeed quite interesting, with very high overall ability, but unfortunately, it's a bit difficult for him to achieve results.
I heard from Coach Utsunomiya before that Inarizaki went on an exchange trip recently?
Unabara Uta nodded. "That's not surprising. In terms of pure strength, Aobajohsai's track and field team is also of national-level caliber."
As for the player Hibari Kotaro mentioned, he could completely guess what the situation was.
Just like Iizuna Sho, some types of players can indeed end up being somewhat inconspicuous because of their playstyle itself.
Especially setters who have the shortest contact time in high-speed matches can be completely overshadowed by the play itself, whereas a type like Miya Atsumu can easily stand out from the crowd.
Such players often go unnoticed during regional competitions, it is only when they reach a truly high-level stage that they can demonstrate their true strength before those who are capable of understanding it.
But in Miyagi.. it truly is difficult to stand out.
They certainly wouldn't take the initiative to scout the districts, but that was only because they couldn't scout them all.
But if it's a Setter, they would be worth watching.
In the entire volleyball world, the hardest talents to come by are good prospects for setters and liberos.
Unabara asked Hibari, "Is Coach Kosano still teaching at Aobajohsai?"
Hibari Kotaro nodded. "Yes, she is coaching high jump."
With a plan in mind, Unabara Uta nodded. "Alright, I understand."
On the court, Rishia Heisuke got the ball and prepared to serve the third one.
Even if the previous serve went to the Libero, it still caused the opponent to fly out of position, proving that this kind of serve is indeed effective.
In short.. keep trying boldly.
Nice serve, Heisuke!
The whistle blew, after adjusting his state, Rishia Heisuke raised his hand to toss the ball again.
—The feel of the ball on his hand was also excellent this time.
He took a running start, jumped, extended his arms, then.. spiked.
With a loud bang, the volleyball instantly soared over the net and slammed toward the opposing side, a flash of joy appeared on Rishia Heisuke's face.
Nice! It bypassed the Libero!
"I've got it!" Goshiki Tsutomu lunged forward, diving toward the ball's landing point and using a diving save to send it toward the net.
Shirabu rushed forward: "Great receive!"
This serve was a bit too close to the net, but it's already quite impressive to be able to receive a serve like that.
Tendo and Ushijima swapped positions in front of Shirabu, Ushijima rushed toward the back of Position 4, taking a running start to jump: "Give the ball to me!"
Miya Osamu and Oori immediately moved to intercept, positioning themselves firmly in front of Ushijima.
With a heavy thud, Miya Osamu's fingers actively met Ushijima's spike: "Touch!"
This set was simply too close to the net; even Ushijima Wakatoshi had no way to perform a full-power spike, as he had to constantly be careful not to touch the net.
Ginjima stepped back and used his hands to precisely send the ball over Miya Atsumu's head: "Great touch!"
For a ball like this, which has already had eighty percent of its power shaved off by the block, one can use a setting motion to maximize accuracy and provide Atsumu with the best possible setting conditions.
Watching the match from the sidelines, the Iizuna coach sighed in admiration, "A perfect play."
It wasn't just referring to the touch on the block and Ginjima's receive, but rather that in this situation.. Miya Atsumu would inevitably provide an equally perfect set.
A pleasant smile spread across Miya Atsumu's face.
To be honest, even Inarizaki rarely manages to produce a ball like that, so he himself is quite skilled at handling those bad serves.
But this doesn't mean he will lose his chance to perform just because his teammates play well.
On the contrary, when a setter, who previously had to conserve energy to deal with the ball itself, receives a good pass, he will have more time to think about and execute the tactics themselves.
After all, a setter is never just a relay station for the volleyball, but rather..
The conductor on the court.
Spikers from both sides advanced simultaneously, the Middle Blocker was also performing a quick attack in the center, creating a state that was essentially a three-point attack from the front row.
Tendo Makoto, responsible for blocking, quietly watched Miya Atsumu's movements while simultaneously clearing his mind, allowing his intuition to operate at its maximum capacity.
Finally, he took a step toward the center.
Iizuna narrowed his eyes.
Tendo judged it to be a middle blocker's back-three?
But in the next second, he noticed that Tendo did not time his jump with Oori's rhythm.
No, it wasn't.
Inarizaki's true offensive point should be..
Oori's body began to descend, behind him was Rishia Heisuke, who had already jumped to his peak.
—Back-row attack.
It was a tactic intended for a wing spiker, but under Miya Atsumu's direction, it was executed by Rishia, who was originally a middle blocker and not suited to move forward in this matchup.
The volleyball was spiked in a straight line, the shortest distance possible, grazing Tendo's arm before striking Goshiki Tsutomu's arm and flying out of bounds.
The third point.
"YES!!" the Inarizaki members cheered.
With Miya Atsumu's three points from the serve, plus these three points, they had already effectively opened up a five-point lead.
Tendo narrowed one eye, looking at Coach Kurosu with the same eerie gaze as Coach Utsunomiya by the sidelines.
So.. where on earth did they pick up all these little monsters?
Coach Utsunomiya from Itachiyama also asked Iizuna beside him, "Do you have any impression of this year's freshmen from Inarizaki? I mean during junior high."
Iizuna shook his head. "I've only seen their substitute Libero, that Kumagai who Hinata said is currently in the Second String."
Talented players generally make a name for themselves during junior high, such as Goshiki from Shiratorizawa, Kai from Inubushi Higashi, Kageyama, who is somewhere out there.
Generally speaking, when high school players ask each other about their backgrounds, they often ask about their junior high school origins.
Among the Inarizaki players, Miya Atsumu's generation was somewhat predictable; Suna Rintaro and the twins were both players who had gained fame back in junior high.
As for Rishia's generation.. the two they remember are actually the ones who haven't even been put into a game yet.
Coach Utsunomiya sighed, "At least give me a few good prospects.."
There are quite a few star players among the current third-year students, but most of them are custom-made products of Fukurodani or Shiratorizawa; they themselves don't really have any goals yet.
Iizuna spoke up to comfort him, "It's okay, our generation's window of opportunity isn't now."
Coach Utsunomiya rolled his eyes, his usually steady coach-like demeanor momentarily vanishing: "The Wing Spikers, Middle Blockers, Libero certainly don't need to be a headache, but what about you?"
The only position at Itachiyama where the substitute level lags far behind is the setter.
Iizuna, who could use the Three Major Spikers and top-tier Middle Blockers as pawns, was no ordinary player himself; in fact, he possessed even more "irreplaceability" than Sakusa.
Moreover, Sakusa and Komori are only second-year students, while Iizuna is already a third-year, they have yet to find a suitable successor for the Setter position.
Even if they might encounter a suitable candidate for the next term, by then, the period of adjustment upon joining the team would be nearly a year, which would significantly affect the team's overall condition.
Scratching the back of his head, Iizuna gave a few awkward coughs. "Ahem, if it's meant to be, we'll eventually meet."
Coach Utsunomiya narrowed his eyes, staring toward the Shiratorizawa side while muttering, "Where did that Kitagawa Daiichi go? If I had known Shiratorizawa wouldn't want him, I would have taken him myself."
What do you mean 'too much personality'? They could all be brought back, it's such a waste, a total waste. Coach Washijo even secretly raised a little setter of his own, the problem is I wouldn't dare poach him..
Rishia Heisuke's serve in the court failed to secure a fourth point.
The serve, which couldn't even be considered stable, flew toward the Libero once again, but the experienced Yamagata Hayato did not let it drop.
After receiving the good receive, Shirabu cooperated with Ushijima Wakatoshi to score a spike; with the Libero off the court, Inarizaki failed to successfully neutralize the super Ace's spike.
When Rishia left the court, he received a round of applause and cheers from the entire crowd, as expected.
Coach Kurosu stood up and patted Rishia on the shoulder: "Well played. Next time, try aiming for the side of the Libero to put even more pressure on them."
Rishia nodded: "Yes!"
Next time he steps onto the court to serve.. he will definitely score more points!
Coach Kurosu was filled with gratification.
Flowers and applause are the best forms of motivation; that feeling.. it makes one want to experience it again, it also drives players to grow.
Rishia Heisuke returned to the waiting area, Kurosu turned to look at Hinata Shoyo beside him: "How was it? Did you feel your blood boiling?"
Once the point gap was completely widened, he could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
After all, the opponents were Shiratorizawa; until victory was truly secured, they didn't even dare to breathe.
With these five points, as long as nothing unexpected happens, this set will be fine.
Hinata nodded without hesitation: "Of course, I feel like my whole body is on fire."