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Youkou High School
Girls’ Volleyball Club Head Coach
POV: Minagawa Kaoru
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I believe that one of the reasons Matsubara Girls’ High School is strong is because “there are no records left behind.”
Back in the Showa era, that might not have mattered, but nowadays, video footage of major tournaments is readily available online, and even regional tournaments can be found from the semifinals or finals onward.
Take us at Youkou High, for example—videos of the prefectural qualifiers for the Inter-High and Spring Nationals from last year and the year before can be found with just a little searching.
As for Himesaki, my alma mater and rival, not only are there videos spanning the last ten years, but I even found footage of myself wearing the Himesaki uniform and winning the national championship.
When powerhouse schools face off, it becomes a battle of information. Both sides study each other’s strengths and weaknesses, devise counter-strategies… or at least, that’s how it’s supposed to work. But with Matsubara Girls’ High School, that’s not possible.
Up until about six years ago, they were considered one of the stronger teams in the prefecture. But then their performance declined sharply. Last year, they lost in the first round of the Inter-High prefectural qualifiers and didn’t even make it past the first league stage in the Spring Nationals qualifiers.
No one was paying attention to them.
And that’s exactly why no one knew anything about how Matsubara played—what tactics they used, what style they preferred, or what weaknesses they had.
When the second round of the Spring Nationals qualifiers began, all we knew was that “they have a short spiker with height and power on par with a boy.”
We recorded footage from the second round and spent a week trying to analyze it, but...
(I did manage some analysis based on limited information, but… it’s not enough. We’re still one step short.)
I muttered to myself in my head, careful not to let anyone on the bench overhear. It’s late in the second set. The score is 20–18. We’re barely clinging to a two-point lead.
This set has been neck and neck. But we need just a little more to seal the win.
As expected, two matches and a week of prep just weren’t enough.
There were also mistakes in our pre-game strategy.
We underestimated No. 7, Tohira. Due to limited footage, I was stuck with the impression of her from middle school, and assumed her receiving skills were subpar—but she’d been training hard over the past seven months.
Back then, she had to be the one scoring points. That’s likely why she chose to become a point-getter.
But now, she has powerful scorers in No. 3, Murai, and No. 6, the younger Tachibana. She no longer needs to score 10 or 20 points herself.
Still, didn’t it bother her to hand over the ace role to two players with less than a year of competitive experience? Maybe it did—but she swallowed that frustration and honed her receiving skills for the team.
What I underestimated wasn’t her skills—it was her spirit.
Old habits die hard, too. I’d warned the team about No. 6, the younger Tachibana’s exceptional speed and wide defensive range, but players kept targeting areas that looked open out of habit—only to have her scoop the ball up anyway.
We also discovered a surprising weakness during the match: Matsubara struggles with float serves. We scored seven points off them in the second set alone. If I’d known that from the start, I would’ve used our float-serve specialists more aggressively.
Speaking of float serves, while No. 6, the younger Tachibana, may struggle with power shots, she’s remarkably good at handling floaters. With her small frame, she darts under the ball and returns it with an overhead pass.
Some players might go for an underhand receive at that height, but she’ll squat in place and force it into an overhead. It doesn’t look pretty, but as long as it gets the ball up, I can’t complain.
If I were more old-school, I’d probably have forced her to fix it, but I suppose Matsubara’s young coach values player autonomy.
There were also things we overestimated. Matsubara doesn’t use quick attacks from the back row—so-called “pipe attacks.” While their back-row players might jump as a feint, they never actually use it in play.
When they do launch a back-row spike, it’s only when their formation is broken by a poor first touch and they’re forced to send up a high second ball. In those cases, No. 3 or No. 6, both skilled at hitting awkward balls, handle it.
On reflection, that’s not surprising. With a two-setter strategy, they usually have three front-row spikers at any given time. All of them are strong hitters for high school girls.
Even if they’re used as decoys, three spikers are enough. There’s no need to have a fourth attacker jumping in from the back. They probably don’t even train for quick back-row spikes.
The match remains tight. We’re up 24–22. Just one more point to take the set. But—
Smack!!
(Again with that!)
Even when we try to block, the ball is coming down from nearly four meters—it’s out of reach.
And when we try to receive, the spike—on par with, if not faster than, a top-level men’s pro—comes crashing down into our open space from overhead.
Blocking’s not an option. Receiving either.
If it were a slow open attack, we could pull our blockers back, but against a lightning-quick strike, we can’t even react.
When No. 6, the younger Tachibana, executes it, an ordinary A-quick becomes a devastating, one-of-a-kind finisher.
And—
“Yuu-chan! Nice kill!”
“You too, Hina! Great toss!”
On the other side, the Tachibana sisters—No. 4 and No. 6—cheerfully high-five. It would be a lovely scene, if they weren’t our opponents.
“Nice, Yuu-chan! Just one more point and we tie it up! Then we’ll take the lead next—three more points!”
Even though they’re behind in the final stretch, or maybe because they’re behind, No. 7, Tohira, lifts her team with her words.
“Hina! Don’t just set for your sister—use the middle too!”
“Yeah, don’t forget the right side! Hina, toss it here!”
No. 10, Nabekawa, and No. 11, Maejima, fire back in response.
This is it. This is what we at Youkou lack. A weapon to crush the opponent. A source of power we can count on, even in the final stages of a set.
One point from No. 6’s quick strike isn’t just one point. It’s a spike that can’t be stopped. It boosts morale, crushes the opponent’s spirit.
…Darn it.
What am I doing?
Am I really going to let my girls lose after they’ve fought so hard against that monster spike? In front of this huge crowd?
The ball flies back and forth across the court.
24–24
25–24
25–25
...
(Think. Their physical abilities are impressive, but they’re not overwhelmingly skilled. If we can just figure out how to stop No. 6’s quick attack—)
...
...
...
Ah…
...
...
...
It was just a coincidence. A random idea. But...
(Wait a minute. No way. It can’t be that simple!)
I tried to shake off the thought. But recalling today’s match… and the last two...
(No no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no...)
(How could I have missed something so basic?! How could something so simple shut down No. 6’s quick so completely?!)
I immediately checked the scoreboard.
There it was, mercilessly staring back: 25–26
One more point, and we at Youkou lose.
(We’ve used up all our timeouts. But if we can just stop the rally, I can sub out libero Akagi and give instructions—)
There’s still a chance to turn this around. But—
Tweet!
The referee’s whistle echoed across the court, signaling the end of the match.
Youkou High vs. Matsubara Girls’ High
22–25
25–27
Set Count: 0–2
Matsubara Girls’ High advances to the finals of the Spring Nationals Prefectural Qualifiers.
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Tomorrow’s Schedule
Spring Nationals Prefectural Qualifier – Final Round
Boys – 10:00 AM Start
Youkou High vs. Himesaki High
Girls – 12:00 PM Start
Himesaki High vs. Matsubara Girls’ High
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