It is hard to say which team will make the cut at this year's Haruko; the suspense is simply too great.
It's also not impossible that some dark horse is still hiding away in some remote corner of Miyagi.
He remembered Komori-senpai saying that neither of the two people from Miyagi Prefecture selected for the youth training program this time was from these schools, which was a bit terrifying..
Miya Osamu's serve had already been sent toward the back row of Shiratorizawa.
Just like most teams' thinking, a three-person attack on the front row also means there is a setter in the back row who needs protection; in this situation, the probability of scoring directly from a serve is very high.
However, teams that primarily use setter attacks will also make specific defensive adjustments to counter this, so Miya Osamu's serve did not result in an immediate score.
Kanegawa sent the ball toward the front row Attack Line, Shirabu passed it to Kawanishi Taichi.
Kawanishi, who had a decent vertical, tipped the ball over the block of Suna and Rishia.
Unabara Uta stepped up from the back row and used one hand to dig the ball.
Miya Atsumu gave a word of praise and quickly moved up, preparing to set the ball: "Nice play!"
After landing, Kawanishi Taichi returned to the center of the net, calmly scanning Hinata and Suna, who were advancing on both sides of the opponent.
Watching Miya Atsumu's movement, Kawanishi took a step toward Position 4 where Hinata was located the moment he prepared to set.
The ball flew over in the next second.
—He guessed correctly.
Bang!
A heavy thud occurred as the ball was spiked down by Kawanishi, crashing down near Hinata's feet.
Rishia reacted extremely quickly, diving straight for the ball to receive it. The ball hit the top of the net and fell toward the Shiratorizawa side.
Kawanishi reached out to receive it, but he hit the ball directly against the top of the net; Goshiki, coming from the side, tried to follow but couldn't reach it, the ball hit the floor with a light thud.
The whistle blew, Inarizaki scores.
Having narrowly escaped, Hinata hurriedly raised his hand to take the blame: "My bad, my bad! Heisuke, you're a lifesaver!"
However, he had already moved at his maximum speed to coordinate with the ball, in his pursuit of speed, he didn't use excessive spiking motions, only to be blocked by Kawanishi, who was one step faster.
Is this.. a preemptive Block?
Hinata withdrew his gaze, turned his head to look at Miya Atsumu, pointed upward at him.
Miya Atsumu nodded.
Hinata signaled for him to give a higher ball; although Kawanishi's block was quite good, the height of his block wasn't actually that high, so it could be spiked hard from above.
But to give a high ball while maintaining the speed of the Quick Attack..
Of course, he wouldn't let Hinata choose a faster one-footed jump; the one who needed to make a change was him, the setter.
Across the net, Kawanishi frowned slightly. For some reason, he had a sudden sense of foreboding. But looking at the situation of this ball, Miya Atsumu might choose to use Hinata as a decoy in the next play.. no, it was also possible he would use that point against him instead. He would have to rely on his own intuition to make a split-second judgment; he absolutely could not let preconceived notions cloud his judgment.
Miya Osamu continued his serve.
This time, he still targeted Shirabu; after all, since he could clearly exert some influence on Shiratorizawa's offensive rhythm, he had no reason to let this opportunity slip away.
Akakura rushed forward to dig the ball, Shirabu also moved up quickly: "Great first receive!"
Goshiki Tsutomu, having secured the ball, delivered another heavy, spinning spike, ensuring he hit it from a high point as he spiked it right over Hinata's head.
Unabara Uta dove into a diving receive, barely managing to touch the ball: "Atsumu-senpai!"
Miya Atsumu stepped forward: "Nice play!"
Actually, Unabara Uta's set wasn't that good, but considering the intensity of Goshiki Tsutomu's spike, it wasn't something that couldn't be praised.
On the other side, Kawanishi was already prepared to move, Hinata had also rushed forward at maximum speed; judging by the four-step approach, it was obvious he was preparing to jump to his maximum height.
Under normal circumstances, to ensure both speed and height simultaneously, the setter's set height and the spiker's contact point must be kept as close to the same level as possible.
But a setter cannot perform a long-distance approach like a spiker, which is why a setter needs to be as fast as Kageyama to coordinate with the Libero—sacrificing the stability of the first receive to ensure the ball reaches the setter's setting point even faster.
Miya Atsumu indeed couldn't do that, he had been troubled by it because of it.
But now..
He has his own way.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Miya Atsumu leaped up on one foot, using the hand opposite his jumping foot to touch the ball.
In the next second, the ball flew directly to Hinata's hitting point.
Hinata, who had already jumped to his highest point, spiked the ball with all his might, completely bypassing Kawanishi's block and maintaining an extremely high speed.
Kanegawa couldn't keep up, the ball slammed down near the baseline.
My God! What was that!
That was incredible!! It feels like they're already invincible!
The moment the entire stadium erupted, Koldorf's eyes widened.
“An incredible.. Negative Tempo Quick Attack?”
Inamura pointed at Miya Atsumu in the middle of the court, his face filled with shock. "No way, did he choose to do a one-handed set just to increase the height of his set?"
On the other side, Hoshiumi's expression was also distorted: "This isn't a surprise Quick Attack; this is a playstyle that crushes opponents with height and speed!"
Inarizaki was studying what kind of tactics! Was this even legitimate!
He knew that when Hinata and Miya Atsumu got together, they wouldn't come up with anything good. There probably isn't another pair in the entire volleyball world that could replicate that nonsense!
“That's too ridiculous!”
Chapter 414: The 414th Fox
"Brilliant coordination. Compared to before, Atsu-kun's playing style has also improved tremendously," Shiratori Natsume said, clapping her hands.
He truly deserves the title of brilliant.
Even though their Fukuda General was eliminated yesterday, it didn't stop him from coming here to join the excitement.
Anyway, it's just a matter of taking the subway to get here. Their league doesn't start until November, they don't have classes these past two days, so they can just go back and continue training in the evening.
However, Shimizu and the others all have their training during the day and didn't come today, so only he and Bokuto came today.
But Shiratori didn't show even a hint of discomfort.
Because.. he called in the strongest foreign player!
Akaashi turned his head to look at him: "Shiratori-senpai, about Miya Atsumu's pass just now.. I know he used one hand to increase the height of the set, but why did he choose a back set?"
If he were setting to Position 4 normally, a standard set would probably feel more natural, wouldn't it?
Shiratori rubbed his chin and replied after some serious thought, "The conditions for that last ball weren't particularly good. Atsumu is right-handed, so he's relatively better at controlling with his right foot. While ensuring the contact point is correct, it might be more comfortable for him to use his right foot to control the distance from the net."
As for whether it's a forward set or a back set.. I don't think there's much of a difference for Atsu-kun.
Akaashi nodded, "I think I understand."
It also meant that his understanding was actually quite accurate; it was only because Miya Atsumu's skill level was so high that he had more freedom of choice.
The Tokyo Haruko qualifiers were also scheduled for two weeks after the National Sports Festival. Compared to the previous timing, this was nearly a month later, which was good news for Fukurodani, whose team chemistry wasn't particularly well-developed yet.
They didn't even expect to win the regional championship, so Coach Kurosu's intention was to hold back a bit of their strength during the regional tournament and aim for even better results at the national level.
It is undeniable that after Bokuto and the others graduated, Fukurodani has not been able to compare to the top-tier teams even with the addition of their first-year Ace; their goal for Haruko is to finish in the top eight and fight for the top four.
I should observe the competing teams at the National Sports Festival closely and find some parts that Fukurodani can use as a reference..
Chewing on a dental chew sent by Shiratori, Bokuto glanced at Akaashi's profile, blinked, said nothing.
He believed that his juniors would definitely be fine.
After Inarizaki's series of brilliant attacks, the score gap between the two sides had reached a terrifying level, a gap that no one believed Shiratorizawa could close.
Of course, Goshiki Tsutomu, being directly involved, knew even more clearly.
He knew he should do something right now, but.. he didn't want to.
A gaze had been locked onto his back the whole time, but he didn't want to turn around.
But the other person didn't look away; he just watched him quietly and gently, without a hint of his former severity.
Kawanishi looked back at Coach Washijo on the bench, but Coach Saito shook his head at him.
The Shiratorizawa members were very quiet. After an unknown amount of time had passed, Goshiki Tsutomu looked up at the Inarizaki members across the net, his voice firm: "Let's keep going just like this."
Shirabu-senpai, who was still watching from the back row, clearly froze for a moment, his eyes filled with disapproval.
Coach Washijo, standing by the sidelines, burst into laughter at that moment.
Coach Saito turned his head to look at him and smiled as well.
Goshiki completely ignored Shirabu's gaze from behind him, lost in thought about his next offensive strategy.
He certainly knew that this set was likely beyond saving, he was also aware that Shirabu-senpai was planning to retire; in truth, Yura should have been subbed in during this set to gain experience and build chemistry. After all, opportunities like this were rare; there weren't many chances to have Inarizaki serve as their practice partners.
But..
He was unwilling.
Because Shirabu-senpai was already prepared to leave, he was unwilling to give up any opportunity to play against him.
Besides, no matter how you look at it, Shirabu-senpai is more mature than Yura. This set isn't over yet; what if.. there's still a chance to win?
But at the end of the day, this was nothing more than his own selfishness.
Whether you call him dictatorial or say he lacks a sense of the big picture, he simply wants it this way.
He is the Ace, the current Vice-Captain, the future Captain; he has the right to be this willful.
Before the Coach makes a decision, no one on this court has the right to bypass him to submit a substitution request to the Head Referee.
And he will bear the consequences of making this decision.
So.. even if it's just this final hour, he wants as many more opportunities as possible to stand side by side with his seniors.
Across the net, Hinata gave Goshiki Tsutomu a thumbs up.
Goshiki Tsutomu remained expressionless and stared straight ahead, giving him no response.