"First touch!" Matou shouted.
Kuroo couldn't help but clap. "That touch was incredibly stable."
This level of sharpness combined with such stability in ball handling makes him an outstanding player, even when looking at the entire Haruko.
Murata, from the back row, sent the ball up: "Captain!"
Wakamura quickly scanned Oori Ren at the net, after executing a back quick fake in coordination with Matou, he passed the ball to Kanzaki.
Kanzaki, having received the ball, delivered another extremely high-quality spike, but it was received by Akagi, who had been waiting for it.
"If they keep playing like this, the ace of Municipal Kobe won't be able to hold up physically." Oikawa Tooru frowned by the sidelines.
Based on the Hyogo Prefecture Regional Qualifiers, this Ace had already clearly shown signs of fatigue after playing three sets, back then, he didn't even have this level of intensity in his spikes.
Generally speaking, it is very common for first-year students to have issues with their physical condition.
Similarly, it is rare for a team to rely on a first-year student as their absolute core, so even if problems arise, the impact on the entire team is far from significant.
With Municipal Kobe's current way of playing.. there will definitely be major problems.
Iwaizumi Hajime raised an eyebrow: "You think they can win?"
Oikawa Tooru shrugged his shoulders. "Why not? I have high hopes for every opponent of Inarizaki."
Iwaizumi Hajime shut up, determined not to pay any more attention to Oikawa Tooru this morning.
After Inarizaki's successful defense, Hinata and Miya Osamu's vertical double quick attack successfully scored a point, directly breaking Municipal Kobe's momentum.
After the service turned to Kanzaki, Municipal Kobe's period of dominance came to an end, they were immediately faced with Hinata, who had rotated to Position 4 in the front row.
Kumagai took over the service turn from Oori Ren, but unfortunately, he couldn't score a single point.
Hanae's determination in defense is not to be underestimated; even though Kumagai's Dual Wield is difficult to read, he still managed to save it with a diving save.
Standing by the sidelines, Oikawa Tooru rubbed his chin. "I still remember how much he hated having to use a diving save during the regional qualifiers."
Iwaizumi Hajime ignored him, while Oikawa Tooru, completely unbothered, added the next sentence himself: "He's growing so fast.."
Moreover, he has a very clear mind, knowing exactly what he lacks and making up for it in a timely manner.
Unfortunately, Hanae cannot hear these words in the middle of the match.
After he proactively lowered his requirements and began diving to save the ball, the frequency with which Inarizaki slipped him increased even more, to the point where he felt as if he had hardly even stood up.
Coach Kuchibira, standing by the sidelines, had a smile on his lips, clearly satisfied with the match on the court.
Hanae's floor-diving frequency has indeed increased, but this actually means that balls he previously couldn't reach have now become reachable.
Under the intense offensive pressure from Inarizaki, Municipal Kobe's Quick Attack failed to play a significant role.
After all, when it came to setting, Wakamura lacked the tricky technique of Miya Atsumu, so he could only call upon Kanzaki more frequently.
This was also exactly the kind of scene Inarizaki wanted to see.
Accompanied by Miya Atsumu's scoring with a second attack, the sound signaling the end of the set rang out at that very moment.
The perfect Quick Attack provided Miya Atsumu with cover. After landing, Hinata Shoyo raised his hand and rushed forward: "Great play, Atsumu-senpai!"
Miya Atsumu raised his hand to high-five him: "Nice cover, Shoyo!"
Both sides lined up by the sidelines to bow in greeting, then the captains of both sides shook hands before switching sides under the net.
Miya Atsumu friendly suggested, "Let's keep playing like this; the opposing Ace is probably reaching his limit."
The amount of sweat being produced was visibly increasing.
Aran rolled his eyes.
That's too mean.
Chapter 169 The 169th Fox
“How should we play the next set?”
Tosaka looked at Wakamura, who was standing with his arms crossed, staring at Hanae on the coach's bench.
"Just do it like usual." Wakamura's answer contained no hesitation.
They certainly had a gap between them and Inarizaki, but it wasn't an insurmountable one.
In previous matches, they had also won by small margins, the point difference in the last set wasn't particularly large either, proving that their overall condition today was still very good.
—As long as they continue to reduce their errors, it will be enough.
But that's easier said than done; in reality, things that are this incredibly simple are often the hardest to achieve.
Wakamura's hand tightened slightly around his water bottle, he decided not to think about it any further.
If he lost this match, his high school volleyball career would be over, so no matter what, he had to give it his all in the second set.
At least.. if he could try just a little harder, he could fight for a chance to reach a deciding set for himself and for them.
The coach looked at Kanzaki, who was drinking water, said, "Kanzaki, make your first receive more stable. If you really can't receive it, just drop it to Hanae in time."
Kanzaki nodded, "Understood."
As for what specific balls he could actually receive.. he didn't really have a clear concept of it; he mostly just relied on his intuition.
Almost sensing Kanzaki's thoughts, Hanae jerked his head around and glared at him, "Don't cause trouble."
Kanzaki pursed his lips. "Don't worry, I'm reliable. After all, I'm the Ace!"
Hanae expressed his distrust and continued to stare at him.
It wasn't until Kanzaki, who didn't think he had done anything wrong, began to feel inexplicably guilty that he let out a cold snort.
Wakamura reached out and patted his two proud juniors on the shoulder. "Don't overthink it. While Inarizaki's offensive patterns are certainly diverse, at the end of the day, they are just variations and extensions of the fundamentals."
Shift your focus from trying to defend against Inarizaki's ever-changing attacks to the simple task of 'receiving the ball'.
"Understood." Hanae nodded.
Rather, that is exactly what he is doing now.
During the previous Inarizaki Regional Qualifiers, he had hesitated multiple times because his diving was not proficient enough and his defensive success rate was low, which caused him to be targeted by Inarizaki.
So, while strengthening his diving training, he was also working hard to overcome his psychological barriers.
For those difficult balls to receive, he only needs to focus on the single goal of "getting to them."
The probability of a successful defense was indeed higher, but the frequency of diving was also higher.
On the other side, Kanzaki looked thoughtful, as if he were trying to think about something.
Opposite the net, Miya Atsumu drank water with an expressionless face: "I could guess with my fingers that Municipal Kobe will definitely still be S1."
Hinata looked at Miya Atsumu-senpai with eyes full of admiration: "Then should we make adjustments?"
Atsumu-senpai is amazing, he actually guessed how the opponent was going to play just from that!
On the other side, Miya Osamu almost choked on his water, looking at Hinata with a look of disbelief.
Except for a very few cases where their lineup underwent significant changes, Municipal Kobe has always used S1.
Municipal Kobe is itself an ace-level Opposite, S1 can fully guarantee three strong offensive points at the opening, so there is no need to make adjustments.
Miya Atsumu didn't even need to guess!
His mind raced through the possibilities, Miya Atsumu immediately looked toward Coach Kurosu, who was preparing to fill out the forms. "Coach, I don't want to be the first to serve this time."
Building on the previous set's strategy of suppressing the Libero and the Ace, they would slightly adjust the rotation.
It would be best to catch the opponents off guard; once they are given the chance to widen the score gap, Municipal Kobe will find it difficult to make a comeback.
Perfect, then Shoyo will take Position 1," Kurosu nodded in agreement, "Kuniharu, get ready. We'll sub in Rintaro directly at the start of the opening to serve.
Suna patted him on the shoulder. "Good luck, go get ten points."
Kumagai, who had not yet recovered from the tragic story of the first set, felt his vision go dark.
Stop repeatedly emphasizing that ten-point thing!
He knew he was wrong and promised never to make a smart remark about others again.
Just then, Hinata also walked over and patted his arm: "Go Akuma, try to take eighteen points in one go!"
Kumagai choked on his words: "Why specifically eighteen?"
Hinata Shoyo spoke sternly: "At least leave me a chance to serve."
After a two-second silence, Kumagai continued, "And what if Atsumu-senpai scores consecutive points and ends the match before you even get a chance?"
Hinata's brain stalled.
Kumagai sighed, raising his hand to pat Hinata on the shoulder: "Come on, get ten points this set."
Both coaches submitted the rotation for the next set and the starting and substitute rosters to the head referee.
The notification sounded shortly after, announcing the start of the second set.
Wakamura Souya of Municipal Kobe served first, just as Miya Atsumu expected, it was a very standard S1.
Looking at Inarizaki's current front row formation, Wakamura muttered, "The Ace in Position 4?"
Although it wasn't the situation they had anticipated, it was indeed one of Inarizaki's common playstyles.
The ones responsible for the first receive in this formation are Akagi, Miya Osamu, Hinata, while the setter Miya Atsumu is protected by Miya Atsumu and Hinata.
Under the current circumstances, a front-court attack against Miya Atsumu is the best option.
But Wakamura knew this about the serve, the Inarizaki members responsible for receiving it knew it just as well.
Moreover, Wakamura was already skilled at hitting such tricky trajectories, so he naturally wouldn't let such an opportunity slip away.
The moment the whistle blew, Wakamura tossed the ball into the air.
With a loud thud, the volleyball flew over the net, smashing precisely into the space between Hinata and Miya Osamu.
Having anticipated it, Miya Atsumu chose to loop around from the other side.
Although it wasn't the best position for a setter to organize an attack, it didn't matter for Miya Atsumu.
“I've got it.” Miya Osamu lowered his center of gravity to receive the ball, sending it high toward Miya Atsumu's head.