With serves that didn't reach extreme levels, under Itachiyama's powerful receives, points would only potentially be lost at the very beginning due to lack of adjustment; once adjusted, the probability of losing points was extremely low.
Koldorf scanned Hinata, who had already rushed to Position 1 in the back row. After taking two steps closer to that area, he still chose a more conservative playstyle, ensuring he could cover the back-row quick attack while not letting Aran's spike pass.
In the moment his gaze swept across, Koldorf noticed that Hinata seemed to make some kind of gesture toward Miya Atsumu.
But before he could think much, the ball in Miya Atsumu's hands was already flying toward Hinata's side.
Hinata, who had retreated behind the baseline, took two large steps forward, at the exact moment Koldorf jumped.. he froze.
Hinata precisely positioned himself behind the three-meter line, then jumped from where he stood half a second later.
Even though much of the momentum from his approach had already dissipated, his jump still maintained a very high quality, completely clearing the block over at Itachiyama.
It wasn't a complete difference in timing, but rather an intentional deceleration in coordination with the setter.
The essence is to use the Quick Attack itself as a decoy, inducing the blockers to make the movement he wants, thereby achieving the goal of shaking off the top-tier blockers.
Shoyo! Shoyo, great job! One more ball!!
The gloom from Hinata's service error was swept away, the Inarizaki supporters raised their banners to cheer for Hinata once again.
"Nice!" Hinata and Miya Atsumu high-fived.
Koldorf looked at Hinata several times, still feeling somewhat dazed.
Did Hinata just.. take over the command from Miya Atsumu?
After Miya Osamu's serve was interrupted, the serve passed to Koldorf, Agatsuma Soushi stepped forward to the front row.
Glancing sideways at Hinata, who was still thinking about the issue of pacing, Miya Atsumu already had other ideas.
Technical balls and rhythm adjustments are essentially both meant to shake off the blockers; if you're going to do it, you have to do both at once, while Hinata hasn't rotated to the front row yet.. let's try it.
"I've got it! Atsumu!" Akagi shouted, calling out Miya Atsumu's name as he received the serve.
The volleyball fell extremely close to the net, at the same time, Hinata had already pulled his position to the other end of the court, poised to perform a Quick Attack.
The sufficient hang time would allow him to complete all his improvised reactive movements, that position was also an angle that suited Miya Atsumu's current body orientation.
Even if Hinata wasn't the one spiking this ball, it would still be a good choice for Oori Ren to hit a semi-high ball from Position 3 on this side.
"Give me the ball!!" The Ace, who was ready, also called out for the toss from the back row on the other side.
Having finished weighing the options in his mind, Agatsuma Soushi decisively took the lead, rushing toward the side of the Position 4 marker where Hinata was located.
But just at that moment, Miya Atsumu, who had been maintaining a setting posture with both hands, suddenly turned, appearing as if he were preparing to spike.
—Second Attack.
Amatori Toru, making an immediate judgment, stepped forward to chase after Miya Atsumu, while Agatsuma Soushi also reacted instantly, stepping toward this side and jumping diagonally to pursue Miya Atsumu.
As Miya Atsumu turned around, he had already caught a glimpse of Itachiyama's block out of the corner of his eye. With his back completely turned to the net, he used one hand to smash the ball down behind him, toward the area behind the net.
Under Iizuna's stunned gaze, the volleyball flew through the space between his arms and slammed into the court extremely close to the three-meter line.
With a spike in that posture, they were completely unable to observe the state of the spike, let alone execute a precise block.
Inarizaki scores.
Aran clicked his tongue.
His side had an open net, with no one guarding him, making it the perfect opportunity to attack.
However.. Miya Atsumu didn't care about him either.
Shiratori, standing by the sidelines, applauded: "Exquisite."
It is hard to imagine that such a brilliant mid-air spin back set was executed by a setter; personally, he wouldn't be able to do it at all.
Hinata immediately asked, "Atsumu-senpai! What was that just now—"
"Back set, similarly, it can also be developed into a back spike." Miya Atsumu quickly explained it to Hinata.
If you set aside the turning step, you can also jump from a stationary position. Either way, it's a play used to disrupt the rhythm of the block, it's very difficult for blockers to observe.
Forgive him for only remembering this now; after all, there aren't many situations in a real match where such a technique is actually useful; most of the time, it's just used to show off.
But things were different now.
When facing this kind of fast-paced one-on-one block, this technique can be quite effective.
Moreover, supported by Hinata's own powerful physical flexibility, it can completely achieve a surprising effect.
Hinata nodded. "I understand."
It meant he could spike even while facing away from the net; he understood it completely.
Amatori looked at Agatsuma beside him without expression: "Be careful, he might try it immediately."
Agatsuma Soushi nodded, indicating that he understood.
—This is definitely something the Inarizaki members would do.
That being said, even Hinata and Miya Atsumu, who are quite willing to try new things during a match, wouldn't dare to act recklessly.
There was no other reason; they simply couldn't find a good opportunity to try it.
Things like back spikes are most effective when used as a surprise attack; they lose much of their significance once the opponent knows a dig is coming.
By comparison.. a Quick Attack directed toward the edge of the net is still most effective.
Of course, Miya Atsumu didn't really give the ball to Hinata; instead, he used him as a decoy to set up a back-row attack for Aran on the other side.
Just as Itachiyama's back row was gradually adjusting to the rhythm of Aran's spikes, Miya Atsumu sent another flat ball flying across more than half the net.
Hinata, with his precise ball positioning, spiked the ball along the sideline; the entire process was incredibly decisive, without a single moment of hesitation.
The sudden acceleration after the deceleration caught Komori off guard, in his haste, he failed to receive the ball.
"Sorry, sorry!" Komori immediately spoke up to take the blame.
Hinata played too aggressively in the previous set, so at the start of this set, their focus was still on Hinata, but the subsequent slowdown led them to believe that Inarizaki was preparing to change tactics and use Hinata as a decoy..
It's truly impossible to defend against.
Shiratori Natsume gasped, "Inarizaki's coordination on that flat quick attack.."
No matter how many times I see it, it's still shocking..
Sugawara Koushi clenched his fists, feeling both amazement and confusion at the rhythm of Miya Atsumu's tosses.
His amazement stemmed from the fact that Miya Atsumu was still able to maintain such high-quality service reception in this situation, while his confusion arose from the way Miya Atsumu used his spikers so crudely.
Yes, "crude" is the only way to describe it.
Especially for Hinata and his twin brother, it could be said that they sacrificed many other more delicate things for the sake of speed.
But to put it another way.. it's because this level is already sufficient for a Spiker.
Therefore, Sugawara Koushi's lack of understanding applied to both the setter and the spiker.
What kind of coordination training would it take to reach this level?
Seemingly sensing the source of the shock from the setter beside him, Kageyama, following his intuition, said softly, "No, I think.. it's more like instinct."
The situation with the Miya Twins might be more complex, but Kageyama, who has a deep impression of Hinata, was able to sense something different between Hinata and Miya Atsumu.
Yes, this tacit understanding didn't seem to be built upon years of working together; after all, Hinata hadn't even been playing volleyball for that long.
And what Kageyama sensed was a chemistry achieved through that shared instinct.
Kageyama watched the Inarizaki members on the screen in silence, finally exhaling the heavy breath he had held in his heart for years.
He had attempted that kind of crude toss many times before, but it had directly.. or indirectly caused the entire team to fall apart.
So he had also once wondered if there was a problem with that kind of setting itself, but now Miya Atsumu had laid the answer out before him.
Kageyama's fist clenched slightly, but relaxed again when Sugawara Koushi cast a gaze his way.
He thought that it was probably "love."
In this regard.. Kageyama did not think he would lose.
His love for volleyball would not lose to anyone, so if he gave Hinata a toss, he would inevitably achieve the same result.
But as expected, he must still be envious.
After reviewing the key points of the Flat Quick Attack in his mind, Kageyama still looked tentatively toward Sugawara Koushi: "If we do targeted training in advance, we should be able to achieve this effect at several specific positions."
He definitely has no problem; the key is whether the spiker dares to spike.
Sugawara Koushi nodded, "It's worth a try."
He couldn't control the others, but he could guarantee that he had one hundred thousand percent trust in the tosses he gave to his juniors.
Unfortunately, there was no mobility to guarantee it, so the effect might not be very good.
As expected, Hinata's speed is still the most enviable..
On the court, Miya Atsumu suddenly sneezed. Then, under the horrified gazes of the Inarizaki members, he raised his hand to wipe his nose, brushing away a strand of his own hair.
Realizing that sneezing at a time like this was a bad sign, he hurriedly explained, "It's not a cold! Definitely not!"
Miya Osamu silently distanced himself from Miya Atsumu: "If you dare catch a cold, you're dead."
Miya Atsumu protested, "How can you say that about me!"
Rather than a cold or something, he felt more like someone was eyeing his family's treasure.
Atsumu glanced at Coach Utsunomiya over by Itachiyama, then looked at the Shirabu members on the court whose team colors were very eye-catching. Realizing that Hoshiumi might also be among them, his expression grew even more sour.
Yeah, there might be more than one.
Chapter 106: The One Hundred and Sixth Fox
Itachiyama Iizuna Sho serves.
Watching Hinata move to the front row, Amatori raised his alertness to the highest level.
Because back-row players need to control their jumps behind the three-meter line, they essentially do not have the opportunity to attempt a back set..
Moreover, what Miya Atsumu demonstrated earlier was an even more difficult spin back-set, which Hinata definitely wouldn't be able to pull off.. probably.
Well, he admitted that he was being cautious because his subconscious told him that Hinata could do it.