Kumagai has been adjusting his touch since the last match, presumably planning to take over for Miya Atsumu.
After both coaches submitted the rotation sheets for the third rotation, the starting lineups for both sides stood back out on the court.
Looking at Miya Atsumu, who was still standing in Position 1, Kumagai, who was in the substitution area, Coach Anromi felt like his brain was struggling to keep up.
Wait a minute, is Inarizaki planning to make a substitution or not?
—How strange.
Holding the ball, Miya Atsumu stood at the service position and smiled.
Of course, they were preparing to make a substitution, but..
They have to be greedy during this service turn.
Chapter 226: Two Hundred and Twenty-Six Foxes
Sitting on the Coach's bench, Suna raised his hand to give a thumbs-up to Miya Osamu, who was playing in the Right Wing during this rotation.
Miya Osamu gave a light click of his tongue, but he said nothing.
Suna's stamina was already the lowest on the team, so if he kept playing, something would likely go wrong; it made perfect sense to let him rest.
Ginjima Yui is the one who will take over as Middle Blocker from Suna.
Because no suitable Middle Blocker was recruited from next year's freshmen, there might not be any suitable ones among those entering through the regular entrance exams, since the complete novice Tokura likely won't be able to take the court next year either, Ginjima has already confirmed his transition to Middle Blocker.
This match is a great opportunity to adapt to the change in position.
On the court, Miya Atsumu stood near the baseline, letting out a long breath.
Although he had wiped his hair and face during the recent break, his already damp hair was still somewhat messy.
But with his own face, he is handsome no matter how his hair looks.
—That is enough.
“Atsumu-senpai, give us a good serve!”
He exchanged a glance with Shoyo, who had turned his head to look, Atsumu quickly raised his hand to brush his bangs aside.
He then turned around and took six steps backward before stopping.
Six steps?
Sae, the Libero who replaced Komi on the court, was completely dazed.
Wait.. Is Miya Atsumu planning to use a Power Serve?
It's over.
Before this, they had speculated that Inarizaki might change their setter, since Kumagai's jump float serve was better than his power serve, they would switch to him, who is more skilled at receiving, to deal with the opponent's jump float serve.
But why is Miya Atsumu using a Power Jump Serve or a spin serve?!
He had no record of appearing on the court before this, so logically, Inarizaki shouldn't have known what his strengths and weaknesses were.
Why change the serve right now..
Miya Atsumu stood at the service line, his eyes slightly relaxed, his entire demeanor quite at ease.
There was no other reason; he was simply tired of using the Jump Float Serve.
Anyway, those substitutes and the Libero don't know his actual strength, so even if he gives up on using the Jump Float Serve, he won't be scolded by the Kita Team!
Having already made up his mind, Miya Atsumu raised his hand to stop the Inarizaki cheers before tossing the ball up.
The Fukurodani side didn't dare to relax even for a moment, because Miya Atsumu's true triple threat only emerged when he had the space for a six-step approach.
They could imagine that every kind of serve possible at the high school level could be executed under these circumstances.
This time, Miya Atsumu did not choose to shorten his approach to perform a Jump Float Serve, but instead leaped while only five centimeters remained before the baseline.
With a heavy thud, the ball instantly flew over the net and smashed toward Fukurodani's back row, aiming directly at the Libero, Sae.
Sitting on the coach's bench, Komi closed his eyes, almost afraid to watch.
He knew exactly what level this junior was at; in truth, he wasn't much worse than him, the only difference being their experience in major tournaments.
As long as he doesn't get nervous, as long as the ball he gives is passed by Mokoba or Akaashi..
The sound of impact came again, upon hearing that relatively solid sound, Komi quickly opened his eyes and looked toward the court.
It wasn't the sound of the ball hitting the floor, but rather the incredibly familiar thud of the ball striking a body.
The ball soared high into the air, appearing as if it were about to land just above the net.
Tsk," Miya Atsumu clicked his tongue as he landed, but he still waved his hand to signal Unabara to receive the ball, "Opportunity Ball!
Just as Unabara took a step forward, Bokuto suddenly leaped on the other side of the net, extending his arms briefly before preparing to spike the ball.
Reacting almost instantly, Unabara immediately retreated, lowering his center of gravity in preparation to receive Bokuto's heavy spike.
Ginjima and Miya Osamu quickly moved up to block, but Bokuto jumped so suddenly that they couldn't keep up.
A soft sound reached everyone's ears, the volleyball was lightly tipped over the net after making contact with Bokuto's hand.
After retreating and lowering his center of gravity, Unabara decisively lunged forward, catching the ball just a split second before it hit the ground.
As he made the save, he himself added some upward momentum, so the ball didn't end up being too low.
“Beautiful!” Miya Atsumu was very satisfied with the way Unabara saved that ball.
At the same time as jumping to follow the play, he sent the ball to Hinata, while Osa Noboru, who had already jumped along the sideline, managed to get his hands past the ball, sending it toward the empty space in Fukurodani's backcourt.
Sae, with incredibly fast reaction speeds, lunged diagonally toward the ball, causing it to hit his shoulder.
Bang!
The ball bounced almost vertically upward, making it the easiest kind of set for a Setter to handle.
Akaashi also decisively followed up, giving Bokuto a set that was perfect in terms of height, speed, distance from the net.
Bokuto spiked with all his might, forcefully smashing through Inarizaki's block.
The ball hit between Miya Osamu and Ginjima, then bounced out of bounds.
Miya Atsumu glanced at the arc of the ball and decisively gave up on saving it. After all, the trajectory was too high; there was no way he could reach it.
Shaking his hand, Miya Atsumu decisively walked toward the sideline: "What a shame."
It was truly a pity that he couldn't score after finally getting the chance to land a Power Serve; he likely wouldn't get another opportunity like that again.
At the same time, the Head Referee above made a gesture, indicating that Inarizaki was requesting a substitution.
Number 3 Kumagai Kuniharu is replaced by number 7 Miya Atsumu.
Coach Anromi breathed a sigh of relief: "As expected, they made a substitution."
Actually.. he was a little afraid that Inarizaki would choose to go head-to-head with them to snatch this third set.
This was a set that Fukurodani absolutely could not afford to lose, but it was also an opportunity for Inarizaki to attempt to end the match with a 3-0 sweep.
But now, the change in the Setter almost certainly meant that Inarizaki intended to use this set to regroup.
For their Fukurodani, this was certainly good news, since after this, losing any subsequent set would mean the end.
No, you never know.
Kumagai Kuniharu was a player who had gained a certain level of notoriety during junior high. Although he might not have been directly recommended for admission to Inarizaki, perhaps because of Miya Atsumu's presence, his own strength was absolutely not to be underestimated.
Based on Kumagai's previous performance records, his overall tactical coordination ability could even rival Akaashi's.
Whether Inarizaki would give up on this set or not remains to be seen; it will likely depend on how things develop later.
Kumagai stepped onto the court, high-fiving Kumoita and Hinata in succession.
Looking at the highly energetic juniors, Aran laughed, "Don't worry, just send the ball to me; I'll score."
That's right! He is the most reliable senior!
Kumagai was just about to discuss the back-row setting with Hinata when, hearing Aran's words, he quickly responded, "Got it, Aran-senpai, I'll do my best."
Hearing those words, which were clearly spoken without a single thought due to being in a state of tension, Unabara burst out laughing. "Pfft."
Miya Osamu endured it for as long as he could, but finally said, "Aran, I think Kuniharu trusts Shoyo relatively more."
Aran lost all color after being called out.
After a brief period of adjusting his mindset, Aran regained his composure and declared, "It's fine, I'm extremely reliable!"
Whether to change tactics and when to change them is the Setter's responsibility; in any case, their current formation allows for flexible transitions between Opposite tactics and Wing Spiker tactics.
Kumagai was relatively better at the wing spiker tactic, so..
Aran stared at Kumagai, silently calling for the ball.
Although slacking off was indeed very enjoyable, he was a bit tired of it.
He wants to become a super Ace who sets the whole stadium on fire right now!
He and Bokuto are both in the top five, he can definitely surpass Bokuto!
Miya Atsumu propped his chin in his hand, bluntly deconstructing his childhood friend's confidence: "You can't do it, can you?"
When Bokuto is in top form, he is even more terrifying than Sakusa, without a doubt, that is the case right now.
According to what Coach Unabara said before, a Bokuto in this state might be second only to Ushijima in the high school world.
Aran.. actually, rather than just pure offense, he is even better at the process of coordinating offense and defense.
Under Aran's gaze, Kumagai lowered his head, doing his utmost to avoid the senior's intense stare.
After the two held their standoff for ten seconds, Kumagai finally gave in. "Yes, Aran-senpai, I understand."
Indeed, he still cannot master the complex Opposite tactics, he cannot deliver Hinata's Quick Attack with the same precision as Miya Atsumu.
By contrast, Aran is indeed a better fit for the current style of play.
Having taken the first point at the opening, Fukurodani was also very decisive, subbing in a specialized server for Osa Noboru's service turn.
Feeling like this server looked somewhat familiar yet having no real memory of him, Unabara whispered to Kumagai beside him, "What kind of serve does this person use?"
Kumagai remembered it very clearly: "Jump Float Serve, he's very good at hitting the net."