Just as the volleyball was about to fly in front of Sakusa, Hinata stepped forward and leaped with a thud, while Suna also leaped half a step behind him, the two of them reached their peak almost at the same time.
No.. Hinata's jump was even higher.
The two players had a difference in their positioning from front to back, forming a diagonal that was closer to the net on the left side, maintaining a strict defense against Sakusa's spin serve.
Hinata, who was absolutely certain of victory in terms of height, stared intently at Sakusa's movements. That straight spike wasn't just about the wrist movement Suna-senpai had emphasized; even the arm position changed because of it.
—It's actually quite easy to tell.
The moment he caught the telltale movement, Hinata did not act immediately.
An excellent predator must have enough patience; once they strike, it must be a lethal blow.
He had to pretend not to know; after all, acting rashly would likely give Sakusa the opportunity to execute a tip or a feint to bypass the block.
A loud thud rang in their ears. The moment the volleyball left Sakusa's palm, Hinata and Suna both adjusted their blocking arms to the right.
Hinata's fingers spread wide, his right hand precisely enveloped the ball spiked by Sakusa.
Sakusa's pupils contracted, but the volleyball was slammed into the Itachiyama court at a speed even faster than his own descent.
He instinctively reached out to save it, but unfortunately, he couldn't touch it at all.
The volleyball slammed down near the sideline, but it was undoubtedly in.
Inarizaki scores on a block.
The score jumped to Inarizaki 3:1 Itachiyama.
Shiratori let out a sigh of relief by the sidelines: "The score gap is stabilized."
Two points might not seem like much, but in the actual course of a match, they are absolutely fatal.
Especially in situations where there isn't a significant difference in the actual strength of both sides, it's basically impossible to catch up.
Kuroo's mouth twitched: "Do you even remember what you came here to do?"
How did he remember they came here to scout Itachiyama, yet now this guy has gone all-in on Inarizaki to win?
No, he has to hold his ground; he's betting everything on Itachiyama.
It was for no other reason than the fact that, relatively speaking, Itachiyama was more straightforward to play against.
Please, Itachiyama, work hard and win this match.
He really doesn't want to play against the fox!
Shiratori smiled, his face full of candor: "It's only human to change sides halfway through."
To be attracted by a strong and excellent player.. that's only natural.
The serve in the court passed to Hinata.
In the end, Coach Kurosu did not choose to substitute Miya Osamu at this time, but instead substituted Hinata for Rishia Heisuke.
Taking his tag back from Rishia Heisuke, Hinata happily headed down to the Coach's bench and took his place: "Heisuke, give me a good one!"
Great, this means even if Kita Team comes on, they won't substitute him out.
Another narrow escape!
Coach Omimi quickly handed him a towel and warm salt water: "Take a break and adjust your condition. You'll rotate to the front row before going back in."
The score gap is still there, Atsumu and the others are stable and have no problem, plus Itachiyama's condition isn't good either.
Lifting his hands, he wiped his face and neck, then quickly used a towel to rub his hair.
Although he didn't want to admit it, his condition was indeed no longer as good as it was at the beginning; he could even feel a slight soreness in his calf muscles.
Taking the cup, Hinata nodded, "Yeah, I'll observe Shinsuke-senpai's spike a bit more."
Coach Kurosu pointed the thermometer at Hinata's forehead; it was slightly high, but still within the normal range, just a rise in body temperature caused by normal exercise.
On the other side, Coach Omimi had already started removing Hinata's knee pads, preparing to check the condition of his knees and ankles.
The knee pads themselves were already soaked with sweat and had become heavier than before; the moment they were taken off, Hinata thought his legs had lost two lead weights.
After two sets, the tightly bound knee pads had pressed his legs until they were bright red under the high-intensity movement.
Coach Omimi repeatedly pressed both sides of Hinata's knee, confirming the situation with him: "Does it hurt like this? What about here?"
It was unknown whether the knee pads themselves had caused Hinata to lose some sensation during the match, but when Omimi pressed against the inner side of his right knee, the joint—which had become even more sensitive after being removed—felt uncomfortable.
Hinata spoke up at the right moment: "It feels a bit strange here, a bit sore."
Coach Kurosu, who had been watching the match on the court, turned his head immediately upon hearing this and took over from Omimi to test it himself.
Although he couldn't feel much through touch, the experienced Coach Kurosu still breathed a small sigh of relief: "You're sure it doesn't hurt, right?"
Hinata nodded. "Yeah."
Kurosu stood up and reached out to rub Hinata's hair. "You're jumping and running too aggressively and too frequently after your turns, so there's a bit of pressure on your knees. Just take a rest, I'll find a physiotherapist to treat you when we get back."
He looked up at Ginjima Yui, who had been standing by his side. "Yui, help me find that knee brace, just one will do."
Ginjima Yui, who had been looking back and forth between the court and Hinata, quickly crouched down and pulled out the white wrap-around knee pad from the backpack that had been placed under the chair.
Hinata's original knee pads were just the most basic type for cushioning, they had limited effectiveness in preventing injuries like patellar and meniscus displacement.
He bought this wrap-around version yesterday with Omimi at a nearby sporting goods store, specifically preparing it for Hinata.
If Hinata's knees experience any discomfort, they should be replaced quickly to minimize any subsequent injury.
However, the knee pads themselves do indeed cause some interference to Hinata's movement, so he might need some time to adapt to them.
Kurosu instructed, "Don't drop your knees; this mainly supports both sides, the front isn't as thick as your previous knee pads."
Agatsuma is likely about to run out of steam, so try to minimize deceptive movements during turns later on. Also, moderate your single-leg jumps, especially with your right leg, so that Atsumu can give you high balls.
Stretching his legs, Hinata nodded in agreement. "Okay."
Hoshiumi, in the stands, narrowed his eyes, his attention entirely focused on Hinata, who was being surrounded at the Coach's bench.
What's going on? They were just resting normally, suddenly so many people crowded around him?
Hirugami subconsciously wondered, "Is he injured?"
The next second, Hinata was led up from the Coach's bench by Kita Shinsuke; he walked back and forth for two laps, bounced a few times, finally raised a thumb to the others.
Hoshiumi raised an eyebrow slightly. "Obviously not."
What's different about Hinata.. is he just changed his knee pads.
Hirugami narrowed his eyes to confirm, "It seems to be Mitsunori."
Hoshiumi didn't say for sure; in any case, the Inarizaki coach was the one who cared most about Hinata, so nothing serious could happen with him around.
It was probably because Hinata felt a bit uncomfortable, or simply because he changed them because the previous knee pads had become too heavy after getting wet.
While Hinata was adjusting to the change, the score on the court had steadily reached Inarizaki 7:5 Itachiyama, the serve passed to Owari Aran.
After quickly confirming the substitution with the head referee, Hinata stood by the sidelines holding Rishia Heisuke's card, preparing to enter the court.
Amatori clicked his tongue lightly. "Trouble is back again."
Compared to Hinata, Rishia Heisuke could only be described as honest.
Most of the points just now were basically taken by Aran; what Rishia did was what a true Right Wing Spiker is supposed to do, whereas Hinata is a genetic mutation among Right Wing Spikers.
The moment he returned to the court, Hinata rushed to Miya Atsumu's side: "Atsumu-senpai, give me some high balls."
Seeing the eagerness on Hinata's face, Miya Atsumu glanced at his black and white knee pads and finally raised a hand to give an OK sign: "No problem at all."
He glanced at Koldorf on the opposite side and added, "Let's see if the opposition can even jump first."
Actually, being able to jump wouldn't be a big problem; after all, Koldorf himself isn't as tall as Agatsuma.
Given the lack of arm length, with Hinata's hitting point being nearly 3.4m, an overhand spike is quite easy.
As for how to overcome the back row reception from Itachiyama..
This was something Hinata had to deal with himself; as a setter, he was only responsible for setting and drawing the blockers away.
From behind came the rhythmic, unified cheers of the Inarizaki supporters: "Aran, give us a good one—"
Aran stepped forward with one leg and slammed the ball against the ground several times.
He hadn't scored a single point from a serve throughout this entire match, since it was almost the very end, he at least wanted to score one point to feel good.
But.. the strongest Libero ruthlessly crushed Aran's dream.
The spin on the volleyball was neutralized by Komori, who sent it steadily right over Iizuna's head.
Leaping up at Position 4, Amatori raised his hand and spiked the ball down, the speed of which was not inferior to that of some adult players.
Aran, having just finished his serve and taken his position, instinctively raised his hand and used his arm to block the ball.
Coach Kurosu stood up immediately: "Cover! Cover!"
That reception.. it's no wonder Miya Atsumu was angry.
Miya Atsumu rushed to catch up, gritting his teeth as he sent the ball to a high point directly above Position 3.
Drawing the blockers away definitely wouldn't work, but since it's a back set, just trust Hinata.
Koldorf and Amatori jumped simultaneously in the center, forming a three-man iron wall in front of Hinata.
But.. the height of this ball was even above Koldorf's fingertips.
Hinata, having already completed his approach to the net, took his final step, his right foot hitting the ground with a heavy thud.
His arms pulled his entire body upward, finally overcoming gravity and soaring away from the ground as if he were flying.
Hinata raised his right hand, making contact with the volleyball at the base of his palm.
The back row defense was very tight, leaving little room to maneuver, but there was a clear opening for a spike near the front row.
It would take time for Gen-senpai and Kami-senpai to dive forward; as long as his ball speed was fast enough, the opponents wouldn't have a chance to save it.
Fortunately, his arm swing speed and hitting height both met the requirements; everything was ready.
After all..
What Spiker doesn't dream of a powerful spike from the three-meter line?
His brain processed every detail in an instant, Hinata spiked the ball down without a moment's hesitation.
The volleyball slammed onto the three-meter line of Itachiyama, then bounced nearly vertically to a height of seven or eight meters.