Fortunately, everyone's attention was on the court, the audio from the earpieces wasn't particularly good; only voices could be heard clearly, so most of those light clicks and coughs wouldn't be recorded.
Kito quickly organized the profiles of Inarizaki's starting lineup and casually picked one with a lot of text, handing it to Oikawa Tooru and gesturing for him to read it in a moment.
They weren't professionals when it came to sports commentary; when the time came, they would most likely end up acting as foils for Yamato, making the commentary segments their own personal stage.
You can't just sit here and collect a salary, right?
Coach Kurosu crossed his arms over his chest and said with a smile, "The late serve was within our expectations. Karasuno's defense is very high-intensity, even if we were the starters, Karasuno has Hoshiumi dropping back to receive, so the probability of Miya Atsumu's serve being effective enough during the Opening is not high."
Furthermore, our original strategy doesn't rely heavily on scoring from serves; it's enough to slowly build our momentum. Keep a calm mindset and don't leave any openings for the opposition.
Everyone responded, "Understood!"
Coach Aran chuckled, standing with his hands behind his back as he looked at the group before him. "Based on the match records from this National Sports Festival, Inarizaki's playstyle hasn't shown any major changes; they are still playing the style we are most proficient at. Yukihito, Meisei, pay close attention to the opponent's Ace."
This is the final match; let's play steadily and secure the victory.
The Karasuno members shouted in unison, "Yes!"
Hoshiumi Hikari let out a long breath, adjusting his condition during the final moments before the match.
Although he didn't have the chance to say it out loud, his goal before graduation.. was undoubtedly three consecutive championships!
【Next, we will introduce the starting players for both sides.】
First to take the stage is the player from Karasuno, the Position 1 Captain, Hirugami Yukio, a Middle Blocker.
With his excellent height and sharp intellect, combined with his incredibly keen blocking insight, he is undoubtedly a nightmare for the new generation of Spikers, which is why he is known as "Immovable Hirugami"!
Kito was excited and felt a bit envious of such a cool title like Hirugami.
He had a very unpleasant nickname during high school, something like.. "Demon-like Brain"? Even now, he still hasn't understood what that meant.
[Next up is the strongest of this tournament's high schoolers, a 2m giant, Number 3, Hakuma Meisei, playing as a Setter/Opposite.]
His absolute height advantage made him an ultimate player who integrated offense and defense into one!
Hearing Kito's voice, Oikawa Tooru almost lost it and nearly burst out laughing.
Hakuma's performance in both offense and defense was indeed balanced, but it was a balanced kind of terrible; while it might be sufficient for the high school level, it was completely inadequate for a top-tier team like Karasuno.
Just as Kito said, it could be said that Hakuma relies entirely on his height advantage to hold his ground.
[Position 5, Vice-Captain, Hoshiumi Hikari, Wing Spiker.]
[The Little Giant of Karasuno, the undisputed MVP of this year's Interhigh! He has created a myth for short players! Agile and possessing solid fundamentals, he never gives up the fight for air superiority, many giants have experienced being hit by his over-the-head spike.]
Seeing Hoshiumi come up, Oikawa Tooru's mood worsened even more.
He and Hoshiumi should have a good relationship, it's all Miya Atsumu's fault!
【Position 5, Norikura Isao, Wing Spiker.】
[An important player for assisting with defense on the other side! His serve is excellent, allowing the team to gain an early advantage.]
[Number 6, Bessho Chigen, Middle Blocker.]
[His spikes are flexible and full of ingenuity, often catching opponents off guard to score points for the team.]
[Number 9, Asahina Kongming, Setter.]
[A graduate of a prestigious school in Nagano, he swept the awards for Nagano's best setter for two years during junior high. He is a player with extremely high combined abilities in blocking, serving, setting.]
[Number 12, Takahashi Ai, Libero.]
[A high-energy freshman Libero; although a newcomer, his receiving ability is extremely strong, having saved the team from many crises.]
[Head Coach, Aran Murphy.]
After high-fiving the players and watching them take the court, Coach Aran stood up and bowed slightly to acknowledge the crowd.
The Karasuno starters had also taken their positions on the court one by one, lining up in a row while waiting for the Inarizaki players to take the court.
Oikawa Tooru lowered his head slightly to look at the notes in front of him, which contained highlighted points that he could use as a guide to improvise.
[Next, I will introduce the starting lineup for Inarizaki.]
[Position 1, Captain, Miya Atsumu, Setter.]
Oikawa's voice faltered for a moment, as if he had seen something that shouldn't have been there.
[Ahem, cough, cough, his setting skills are extremely powerful; he is the core strategist of the team, repeatedly orchestrating incredibly brilliant offenses. Many of his highlight performances are still preserved in the spectacular compilations of various major tournaments?]
Kito glanced at him sideways, noticing that Oikawa Tooru seemed to be stifling a laugh.
After a light cough, Oikawa tried to introduce him seriously again: [He has experience leading the National Team in Asian competitions and is, without question, an extremely excellent Setter at the high school level.]
Looking at "High School's Strongest Setter" written in Oikawa Tooru's script, Kito fell into silence.
Oh, Oikawa Tooru was holding his own script, but in the end, it was decided to have Oikawa Tooru introduce Inarizaki.
Kito glanced down at the script in his hands that belonged to Oikawa, was startled to see that just after Miya Atsumu's name, two words were written—"Setter."
Fortunately, Oikawa Tooru successfully regained his form, the subsequent introductions became much more serious: [Number 2, Vice-Captain, Miya Osamu, Wing Spiker.]
[He is indisputably the top all-around player in Inarizaki, with almost no obvious weaknesses. He is able to switch roles with the Setter many times, executing incredibly brilliant plays.]
【And they were once the strongest twin players in high school alongside Miya Atsumu.】
—The last sentence was added by Oikawa on the spot.
Amatori, who found the commentary quite interesting and had decided to keep listening, laughed so hard he slapped his own thigh: "Hahahahaha—what on earth is this!"
There's only one pair of twins like this in the high school volleyball world right now!
[Position 4, Rishia Heisuke, Wing Spiker.]
[A player known for his powerful jump serve, who once scored 6 points in a single set solely through serves last year. Since taking over a starting position, he has performed admirably in both offense and defense.]
[Number 6, Suna Rintaro, Middle Blocker.]
[Known for his unpredictable offense, his performance at the net is also eye-catching, he has been given evaluations by several opponents he has faced before as being "able to read people's hearts."]
[By the way, there is also a nickname "Noodle Man" that has been spreading like wildfire lately.]
This time, Kito couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Yamamoto chimed in: [That title really fits Suna's offensive style perfectly; it captures the essence.]
Oikawa Tooru laughed, then continued introducing the players: "Number 10, Hinata Shoyo, Setter and Opposite."
Just like Hoshiumi, he is a short player, the Little Giant of Inarizaki.
But Hinata Shoyo's playstyle is very unique; he is a rare, absolute agility-type player, combined with his own excellent jumping ability and ever-growing skills, he has already become a mainstay of the new generation of Inarizaki.
[He is the Ace who can inspire the entire team at critical moments!]
Amatori clapped expressionlessly in the stands: "This is favoritism. Oikawa's favoritism is far too obvious."
When Miya Atsumu watches the recording later, he's definitely going to make a scene..
Watching Amatori laughing one moment and looking full of regret the next, Iizuna also became interested; he decisively pulled out his phone and headphones to find the official live stream of the match.
In fact, many people watching the match in the venue listened to the commentary, there were even radio headphones available for rent at the entrance.
After all, not everyone is a professional, many brilliant points still need a commentator to highlight them. However, for him, being able to communicate with his companions nearby meant it wasn't an absolute necessity; it was just that.. he was truly curious about what Oikawa Tooru was doing right now.
[Number 9, Unabara Uta, Libero.]
As the current guardian of Inarizaki, Unabara Uta supports the team's defense through his tenacious spirit and quite impressive fundamental skills.
In Inarizaki, which is known for its high-intensity offense, his importance is beyond doubt.
Unabara walked up to stand beside Hinata, compared to the Libero over at Karasuno, his tall stature undoubtedly made him the center of everyone's attention.
[Head Coach, Kurosu Masamune.]
The players took their positions as marked on the rotation chart, Karasuno's Asahina Kongming was the first to serve.
Yamamoto explained, "Karasuno is still using their usual S1 Opening. This formation ensures that their Opposite with strong offense is in the strongest position at Position 4, while simultaneously guaranteeing a three-person attack in the front row for Iori Miwa."
Kito nodded: "As for Karasuno, they might also be considering the blocking pressure from both Hakuma and Hirugami."
【After all, although Inarizaki starts with the Middle Blocker in Position 1, they will transition to having the Setter in Position 1 in the next rotation, just like Karasuno's current positioning, ensuring a three-point attack from the front row.】
Oikawa Tooru added: [Miya Atsumu's serve is also quite good; even if he loses a point during the opening due to Karasuno's initial serve, he can quickly find an opportunity to counter-attack.]
Iizuna struggled to suppress the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "The relationship between Oikawa and Miya Atsumu really is as bad as ever."
The High School's strongest server was only considered "decent" by Oikawa.
Asahina had already walked to the position for his serve approach.
Watching his position, Unabara's expression remained unchanged.
Asahina's serve approach was different from before; although he hadn't shown this previously, Kumagai had guessed it while watching the footage.
Asahina's foot faults occurred several times because of an instinctive misstep during his approach, Kumagai and Miya Atsumu both speculated that he had changed to a four-step approach.
It seems they guessed correctly on this one..
The change in this type of approach run has the greatest impact on the initial height and the final ball speed of the serve.
Among current high school players, Rishia Heisuke is the best at this.
—In his comfort zone.
Chapter 448: The 448th Fox
Unabara Uta carefully observed Asahina's movements.
Karasuno used specialized visual obstruction against him, making it difficult for him to see his opponent clearly, but even a little bit was enough.
Inarizaki also trained specifically on the aspect of serve concealment, as someone capable of replicating Komori's height, he had certainly served as a live target for such practice.
Therefore, he now has quite a lot of experience regarding the task of "how to read the movement of a server behind a cover."
Moreover, the others would help him as well.
Before this match began, they had already prepared themselves for a long battle; of course, it would be even better if they could achieve victory more quickly.
Anyway, since Nishizawa Hokuto is there to substitute for him.. then just give it your all.
Just as Unabara expected, Asahina used a four-step approach for his jump serve.