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Set 3 – In Progress
Tamaki Commercial High School Side
POV: Ichikawa Makiko
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We’re not tall.
Yes, we’re not tall.
This is important. We’re not short. Even without counting our tallest player, Yokota, our team’s average height is 164 cm. That’s over 5 cm taller than the average for girls. So we’re not short.
But well, that’s only compared to the general average. If we’re aiming for the national stage in volleyball, it’s a bit lacking.
That’s why we make up for it with technique and strategy.
If we try to spike properly, it just gets blocked.
So we jump with multiple players to throw off the opponent’s block.
We fake our line of sight to confuse the blockers.
We even pretend to mess up our first touch to mess with the block.
For us, guiding the opponent’s block where we want it is essential. If we can’t do that, things get tough real quick.
Near the end of the second set, with Yacchin back on the court, we purposely showed minus-tempo and inner spikes. The reason, of course, was to make them switch back their block shift to bunch shift. For us, who aren’t tall, even one blocker over 170 cm is a threat. So even if it works and we draw two blockers, spread shift always gives us at least one blocker. But with bunch shift, we might get as many as three, or none at all if we mess it up. That kind of gamble actually works better for us. After all, disrupting the block to set up a toss is our specialty.
That’s why we teamed up to show off an attack that “could’ve been blocked if there were three blockers,” hoping they’d review their block strategy during the break between sets. But they stubbornly stuck with the spread shift.
And now, they’ve changed their block shift to something even more annoying.
Their number 5, who used to be the core of the block, has been subbed out. Probably exhausted. Number 2 came in as a replacement, and she’s shorter than us. I thought that would create a hole in their block, but...
Matsubara Girls changed the center of their block from number 5 to the two top players—Monster-chan and number 3.
One of the two is always in the center.
These two... do they have bottomless stamina or something? They’re still full of energy. Even when the toss goes from the middle to either side, they move quickly and jump right into the spike.
This is the third set, you know? And they even played another match earlier, didn’t they? How are they still so lively? Out of both teams, they’re the only ones this energetic. And since their block is spread out, there’s no one else getting in their way, so these two move freely across the court, side to side, back and forth, and it’s really troublesome.
To make things harder, they’re growing with every set. Or rather, gaining experience. At first, they fell for feints and misdirection easily, but now they’re not so quick to be fooled. Their blocks are more precise, waiting and reading the play before jumping.
Now, these two tough blockers are the center, and one more comes in to block with them. Meanwhile, number 2, who replaced number 5, and the clearly worn-out number 1 have switched to a strategy where they stay on the ground to cover the block instead of jumping.
This is a real problem. A volleyball block isn’t guaranteed to send the ball cleanly back just because it touches the hands or arms.
For example, the ball could hit the hand and drop near the net, or it could get trapped between the net and blocker and fall—that’s what they call a “suck-in.”
Those two main blockers aren’t good at handling that kind of thing, so when that happened, we used it as a way to score points. But now, with numbers 1 and 2 covering from the ground, they’re stopping us from turning those into points.
We’re holding onto the lead for now, but it’s only four points. If we let our guard down, they could flip the score in no time. And now...
“Yuuri! Don’t hold back just because we’re behind! Give it all you’ve got!”
“Yuuri! Stay aggressive!”
“Nice one!” (Volleyball slang meaning "Nice serve!")
Of all times, now it’s Monster-chan’s serve—a real pinch.
BEEEP!!
The whistle signals the start of serve. Monster-chan moves. Tosses the ball on her second step. Jumps on the fifth.
So high!!!
This is the third set, right? How can she still jump that high?
The serve released from that high altitude is practically a boys’ spike. And not only is it fast, the placement is good, too.
“Chiaki!”
The ball flew into a tight spot, but that area is covered by Chiaki, who’s our best receiver. She managed to receive it—but the ball went straight back over to their court...
“Reiko! Direct! Slam it down!”
It was a return at a height we could never reach. But...
Smack!!
With a thunderous sound, the ball pierced into our court. Number 3 spiked the returned ball directly. The fact that she could reach that...
It really drives home the point that volleyball is a game of height.
That makes it 18–15. Our lead is now down to 3 points. And their number 3 is still full of energy. Even though it’s late in the third set, her jump height isn’t dropping at all.
“Reiko! Nice key!” (Volleyball term used when someone makes a great spike.)
“Yuuri, that was a great serve too.”
“Yuuri, feel free to just finish the match with 10 more service aces!”
This is no joke. There’s no way we’re letting her serve 10 more times!
BEEEP!!
Monster-chan’s serve again. This time, where will it—?
!!
The serve hits the white tape at the top of the net and rolls in. We were expecting a power serve, so we were all braced behind the attack line, and couldn’t reach it—ended up letting it drop.
18–16.
Now it’s just a 2-point difference.
That serve probably wasn’t intentional, but the flow is starting to feel bad. We have to break it somehow. We don’t need their top two players getting even more fired up. Or rather—just how long are those two going to stay that energetic...?
“Nice aggressive serve!”
“Yuuri, keep it up. Just 9 more points. We can win this.”
“Yuuri, don’t get shaken by that net-in. That was a great spot. You’re doing great!”
...
Yeah. There are three more who are still full of energy.
According to the tournament pamphlet, all three are third-years. In terms of raw ability, they’re maybe a step or two behind the first-years. But those three haven’t forgotten to raise their voices. We could hear number 2’s voice even while she was still on the bench. Even after number 5 was subbed out, she kept cheering from the sidelines.
Thinking back, even their expressions were looking upward ever since the first set.
They’re what you call emotional pillars. Even if they’re tired from running all over the place, they haven’t forgotten to encourage their team.
With seniors like that around, no wonder their top two players are able to push themselves so hard. Our opponents aren’t just Monster-chan or the twin aces. They’re the full team—Matsubara Girls High School.
But that doesn’t mean we’re going to roll over and lose!
“Okay, okay, everyone. Calm down. We’re still in the lead. This isn’t the time to panic. Just 7 more points and we’ve got this. Let’s start by stopping this serve!”
I call out to my teammates, who are tired and getting flustered.
I’m a captain too. Our team is strong too. There’s no way we’re letting our volleyball end in June.
Bring it on, monsters—!
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