This is the most valuable match footage Inarizaki has at this stage, as they have already utilized almost all of their standard tactics.
Moreover, under Nekoma's intense blocking pressure, Hinata's speed and height were pushed to their absolute limits, which provided valuable reference for Itachiyama.
On the other side, Agatsuma nodded along.
Although Itachiyama's results were better, he admitted that he was inferior to Hirugami when it came to blocking.
Nekoma played this match quite haphazardly; otherwise, Hirugami wouldn't have been confused by Hinata's changes in pace.
So.. he must be even more cautious.
He would try to memorize all of Inarizaki's attack routes as much as possible first, which would make it easier for him to implement them on the court later.
Komori rubbed the back of his neck, feeling a bit of a chill: "I'm saying.. Inarizaki won't come out with something new tomorrow, will they?"
Iizuna, who was discussing things with Amatori, turned back and said, "There shouldn't be anything else, right? They've already played out their usual tactics; Hinata has launched attacks from basically every position, his coordination with the Ace has also been present in this set."
Besides, with Kita there, their receives in this set have been quite good, Miya Atsumu is also in top form.
It would be more accurate to say that the Inarizaki members were all in great form.
Of course, that includes Suna, who started slacking off later on.
The members of Sannomiya Industrial, who had entered from the other end of the court, watched Itachiyama gesturing wildly toward Inarizaki, the leader, Suzuki Garaku, felt his vision go dark.
Subsequently, an even more intense fighting spirit surged forth, erupting into a raging fire behind him.
Since Itachiyama acts like they are above everyone else, he will use this match to give them a wake-up call!
Suzuki Nanao, who had just finished waving to Hinata in the stands, sat back down in her chair, feeling very pessimistic about her brother's match.
However, since they have made it to the national top eight, it's expected they will stay in the tournament until the day of the finals, so he will be able to watch all of Inarizaki's matches.
As for whether Inarizaki could actually defeat Itachiyama tomorrow to advance to the finals..
Suzuki Nanao refused to think about it.
Inarizaki will win.
Meanwhile, in the hotel room, Miya Osamu, curled up under the covers, picked up the remote and turned off the live broadcast of the match.
He felt fine after taking the medicine. Tomorrow's match..
It shouldn't be a big problem.
Amatori Toru looked at Iizuna with full confidence. After the two of them briefly reviewed the match, they were both brimming with confidence for tomorrow's game.
We've already figured Inarizaki out; there's absolutely no way they'll come up with anything new!
Absolutely impossible!
Sakusa took off his mask and silently took a step back, watching the captain and vice-captain start laughing foolishly.
Chapter 98: The Ninety-Eighth Fox
While stretching on the sidelines, Coach Kurosu and Coach Omimi were also using a tablet to watch the Itachiyama match taking place on the other court.
In the upper bracket, Shirabu narrowly defeated Rakusan and will face Fukuda General tomorrow morning.
The Inarizaki members couldn't quite predict the outcome of this match either.
Both Shirabu and Fukuda General experienced considerable physical exhaustion, in terms of raw strength.. they were actually quite evenly matched.
Especially since Fukuda General's overall quality and the solidity of their fundamentals are much better than Shirabu's, with no particular weaknesses in any specific area.
Watching the live broadcast, Coach Kurosu's expression suddenly contorted, feeling as if he wanted to laugh but couldn't.
Whoa, that play by Sannomiya Industrial.. where on earth did that set go?
What they call being one-sided is exactly what Sannomiya Industrial is like.
Their blocking and quick attacks are decent, but their receiving and setting are constantly off.
They might not show many problems on a regular basis, but once they face a team with no blind spots like Itachiyama, all their flaws are exposed.
By that logic.. Nekoma is actually the same.
Coach Omimi recalled the Haiba Lev he had seen before: "That tall guy from Nekoma actually gives off a similar vibe to Hakuma Mebuki."
They are both tall enough to suppress the core with blocks and assist with some attacks; likewise, they are both rookies who give their teammates headaches.
The only difference might be that although Hakuma Mebuki isn't particularly bright, he is more steady compared to the erratic Haiba Lev.
.. That's not quite right either.
Hakuma wasn't actually steady; he was just a bit blunt, he often found himself being led on a merry chase by Miya Atsumu.
Having caught the key point, Hinata recalled that somewhat intimidating tall guy; the main thing he remembered was that the other person had said something, only to be kicked by Yaku-senpai.
Thinking of this, Hinata, who was helping Miya Atsumu stretch, turned back to ask Suna: "Suna-senpai, around when does the main tournament for the Haruko qualifiers in Tokyo start?"
Miya Atsumu looked up.
On the other side, Suna, who was stretching his waist, lowered his eyes and recalled, "Tokyo should be a bit later. They have many teams in the initial screening, the official qualifiers won't start until early November."
"That's so late!" Hinata's eyes widened.
The Haruko qualifying match schedule and dates for Hyogo have been released. This time, the matches will be held at the Amagasaki City Municipal Gymnasium, so they won't have to travel to Kobe, the timing is just two weeks after the National Sports Festival ends.
Aran added, "The qualifiers in Tokyo and Kyoto will be the final battles. Once they're over, the full schedule will basically be released."
"I see.." Hinata nodded, while simultaneously feeling like something was wrong.
Below, Miya Atsumu's wails drifted up: "Shoyo, Shoyo.. get up! I can't take it, my legs are breaking!"
Only then did Hinata Shoyo realize he had been pressing down on Miya Atsumu and quickly let go, allowing Miya Atsumu to get up: "Sorry, Atsumu-senpai!"
Watching Miya Atsumu's expression shift from vigilance to endurance, finally to a face flushed bright red from holding it in, Suna silently applauded.
Brilliant, absolutely brilliant.
It's a pity it wasn't recorded, otherwise it would have been more material for new memes.
The match between Itachiyama and Sannomiya Industrial wasn't much to watch either. After watching the first set via live stream, Coach Kurosu organized everyone to return to the hotel to rest.
Rather than watching this match live, it would be more practical for them to go back and review the recordings of their previous Interhigh matches.
After all, the situation for Inarizaki and Sannomiya Industrial is completely different, so it provides no reference at all.
Putting on his mask, Hinata walked up to Coach Kurosu and said proactively, "Coach, I'll head back a bit later. I'm going to say hello to Suzuki Nanao."
Kurosu nodded, already knowing who Hinata was talking about. "Alright, if you don't want to walk back by yourself, you can go find Utsunomiya or Kusubashi; they plan to stay here until evening."
Well, as for Hinata going to approach these people.. he was one hundred percent at ease.
—So, who on earth is this Suzuki Nanao?
The full of doubts Miya Atsumu approached and said, "I'll go with him. Coach, you should head back first."
Kita Shinsuke, who had originally felt at ease with Hinata Shoyo, froze for a moment before quickly heightening his vigilance: "Atsumu, you go back with the team to rest. I'll go with Hinata."
He trusted Hinata very much, there were also many acquaintances in the gymnasium who could help look after him, but he absolutely did not trust Miya Atsumu.
Tonight, Miya Atsumu would most likely create several more enemies for Inarizaki out of thin air.
Miya Atsumu protested, "We'll just say hello and then head back, we definitely won't cause any trouble! I swear!"
That's right, he would absolutely keep Hinata far away from Sakusa Seihai Kiryu, he wouldn't give them any chance.
“Atsumu.” Kita's voice grew stern.
Miya Atsumu shrank back behind Hinata Shoyo, his mind racing: "I'm planning to use the court over here to research some new things; I definitely won't overwork myself!"
As he spoke, he poked Hinata in the waist with his finger.
Believing him completely, Hinata Shoyo instantly recalled what happened when he played a short diagonal during the match just now, nodded along. "That's right! There's something I want to try, I need Atsumu-senpai to help me with it!"
If he continues to play like he did just now, he will be blocked by Itachiyama's block tomorrow as well.
He needs to find a way to explore how to increase the ball speed while maintaining the ability to play a modified short diagonal.
Kita fell silent.
He felt a bit of a headache, but looking at Hinata's sincere eyes, he ultimately nodded in agreement, "Be careful not to overexert yourself."
Hinata cheered, "Long live Kita Team!"
The coach and the others left one after another, Hinata also turned around, pulled a ball out of the volleyball cart, looked at Miya Atsumu with sparkling eyes.
Atsumu-senpai, can you set for me!
Miya Atsumu took a step back, his expression somewhat shocked: "No way, you're actually serious."
He was just making an excuse, but Hinata truly intended to continue the extra practice.
After locking eyes with Hinata for a few seconds, Miya Atsumu gave in: "Fine, fine, what do you want to try?"
There was no helping it; the Spiker was eager to keep improving..
As a setter, how could he not keep up?
Hinata walked toward the baseline to prepare for the toss, while simultaneously saying to Miya Atsumu, "The backhand short diagonal from Position 4 is fine, but when I hit straight shots from Position 2, I always feel like I can't get enough ball speed, once Hoshiumi-senpai predicts it, it gets completely blocked."
Miya Atsumu quickly got into the zone: "The ball speed you have when you spike a Line shot is essentially sufficient, but when you hit a Short Diagonal, you need to press the angle of the ball further inward. A different arm swing angle will affect the final ball speed of the swing."
After pondering over the potential issues, Miya Atsumu felt that practice would bring true understanding: "Anyway.. let's give it a try first."
"Alright!" Hinata responded, raising his hand to toss the ball up and bump it toward Miya Atsumu's head.
The Nekoma members, having finished their stretching in the adjacent gym, were passing by the door when they heard Miya Atsumu's loud shout.
No—it's still not working!
This isn't right. I've already adjusted my setting position, so why does it still feel awkward?
Hoshiumi stopped in his tracks, gently pulling open the gymnasium doors to peek inside.
Miya Atsumu lay on the floor, staring blankly at the ceiling. "Shoyo, do you want to try pulling toward the antenna position again? If we hit the angle at its limit, we can get it through even if the ball speed isn't fast enough."
Hinata sat by his side: "But Atsumu-senpai, wouldn't that require touching the pole??"
Raising his hand to simulate several forward and backward spiking motions, Hinata rubbed his chin in thought, recalling the scene when Hoshiumi had blocked his spike earlier.
Actually, the key wasn't the speed of the ball, but rather how to prevent the spike from being blocked.