"Nice serve, Taichi!"
"One more ball!"
Amidst the praise of his teammates, Kaedehara Taichi delivered his second serve, once again targeting Ōhira Reon.
The volleyball seed to wobble in the air, but it reached Ōhira's position swiftly. To him, it still looked like it was going out of bounds.
However, having misjudged the previous ball, he didn't dare to take another gamble.
Smack!
Without much ti to react, Ōhira lunged forward in a desperate dive to receive the ball.
"Lucky!" Taichi, who had been watching the ball intently, noticed it veering slightly off-course. Close call.
"Cover!"
Shirabu Kenjirō sprinted outside the court to save the ball, and Tendō Satori sent it back over the net.
"Chance ball!"
Hanamaki Takahiro received the ball cleanly, allowing Oikawa Tōru to set it high.
Boom!
Kyōtani Kentarō executed a flawless cross-shot, stunning Shiratorizawa and scoring a commanding point.
[Aoba Johsai 9 - 5 Shiratorizawa]
"This new face….could he be a power hitter?"
Aoba Johsai's current form had left Shiratorizawa completely unprepared.
Beep! Shiratorizawa called for a tiout.
The turn of events in the match was unexpected! Many reporters on the sidelines deleted their prewritten articles and began scribbling furiously while watching the ga unfold.
Aoba Johsai now had three players capable of scoring directly off their serves: the new player's powerful jump serve, Oikawa Tōru's increasingly formidable serves, and the surprising jump float serve from their first-year.
From the very start, Aoba Johsai had delivered nothing short of a spectacle.
If the ball couldn't be properly set to Ushijima Wakatoshi, even he wouldn't be able to do much!
"Looks like everyone assud our strategy to counter Ushijima Wakatoshi was through serving," Coach Irihata said with a relaxed smile.
Even Aoba Johsai hadn't entirely expected this outco. While Kyōtani Kentarō's serving performance was part of the plan, Kaedehara Taichi's jump float serve was an unforeseen bonus.
Judging by his second attempt, though, there was still room for improvent.
"Maintain the lead. Don't let Ushijima Wakatoshi score easily. We have to take this first set!" Coach Irihata decisively instructed, determined to capitalize on the montum.
"Yes!"
On the other side, Coach Washijō didn't resort to scolding his players. They had done all the necessary preparations during practice; now, it was simply about executing.
"Just focus on getting a high receive, then set it to Ushijima!" His instructions were straightforward. Washijō still placed his faith in individual strength.
"Yes!"
With the tiout over, the match resud.
Kaedehara Taichi continued to serve. This ti, the ball flew straight toward Ushijima Wakatoshi.
Ushijima stepped forward and expertly pushed the ball high. Without hesitation, Shirabu set the ball to the centre.
From the back row, Ushijima soared and spiked through a triple block.
Shiratorizawa regained a point.
[Aoba Johsai 9 - 6 Shiratorizawa]
Kunimi Akira, who had narrowly avoided injury during a training match against Ushijima a month ago, hesitated slightly while blocking, exposing a gap in the defence.
"Sorry!" Kunimi quickly apologized.
Iwaizumi Haji hesitated briefly but didn't dwell on it. Instead, he gave Kunimi a light pat on the back.
"Don't worry. Next ball."
Both teams began to stabilize their rhythm.
Shiratorizawa relied on Ushijima Wakatoshi's dominating attacks to score, while Aoba Johsai gained ground through consecutive offensives led by Kaedehara Taichi and Kyōtani Kentarō.
Even though their serves didn't widen the score gap significantly in later rotations, they still managed to prevent Shiratorizawa from closing in.
Gradually, Aoba Johsai's score reached 20 points first.
[Aoba Johsai 20 - 17 Shiratorizawa]
Shiratorizawa called their second tiout. Coach Washijō furrowed his brows, deep in thought. The intensity of this match far exceeded his expectations. Aoba Johsai's performance was astonishing, going toe-to-toe with Shiratorizawa's offence.
Their resilience and strength were not to be underestimated.
"We can't let Aoba Johsai organize such effective attacks so easily anymore," Coach Washijō said sharply. "Kaedehara Taichi and Kyōtani Kentarō—focus on shutting down at least one of them."
If they wanted to claim the first set and gain an advantage, they had to disrupt Aoba Johsai's rhythm and weaken their offensive power.
"Let's also attack their receiving line."
The tiout ended, and the match resud with Shiratorizawa's serve.
Ōhira Reon targeted Kyōtani Kentarō with his serve.
"Good, no ti for a run-up now." With the left-side threat neutralized, Shiratorizawa shifted their attention to Kaedehara Taichi.
Oikawa Tōru quickly stepped in and sent a high set.
Kaedehara Taichi leapt into the air, carefully aiming to exploit a gap in Shiratorizawa's block before spiking the ball.
Smack!
"One Touch!"
Shiratorizawa had anticipated the attack, making it difficult for Taichi to find a sharp angle to push the ball out of bounds.
Yamagata Hayato steadied the ball with a dig, and Shirabu Kenjirō set it high.
As usual, Ushijima completed his approach and unleashed a devastating spike.
"Three-man block!" Iwaizumi Haji, Kunimi Akira, and Kaedehara Taichi jumped together, forming a solid wall.
Boom!
Even though Kunimi had prepared carefully and maintained a solid blocking posture, Ushijima's spike tore through his defence, forcing his arms back.
The volleyball slamd onto Aoba Johsai's court.
Ushijima Wakatoshi scored.
[Aoba Johsai 20 - 18 Shiratorizawa]
"Nice one, Ushijima!"
"Shiratorizawa, push forward! Shiratorizawa, push forward!"
Although breaking through a three-man block was demoralizing, Aoba Johsai had already anticipated such situations and ntally prepared themselves.
The strategy was working! Ōhira Reon's next serve again targeted Kyōtani Kentarō.
"Damn it!"
This ti, the serve was even trickier, skimming dangerously close to the boundary line.
Frustrated, Kyōtani mishandled the ball, sending it straight toward Shiratorizawa's side.
Bang!
Tendō Satori capitalized on the opportunity and jumped to spike it down imdiately.
Shiratorizawa scored again, narrowing the gap to a single point.
[Aoba Johsai 20 - 19 Shiratorizawa]
"S-sorry…" Kyōtani muttered, visibly upset. Even he knew that this misstep might shift the ga's montum entirely.
"Damn it!" His frustration boiled over, leaving him unsure of how to make ands.
"Move to the side." Hanamaki Takahiro spoke up unexpectedly. "I'm not as good at receiving as Watari or Iwaizumi, but I can at least help cover you."
Kyōtani didn't know how to respond, but he could sense that this was his teammate's way of lending a hand.
"You're not on the court for your receiving, are you? You and Taichi are Aoba Johsai's primary offensive weapons right now. If you can't give it your all, we're the ones who'll be in trouble."
Kyōtani stepped back quietly, processing Hanamaki's words.
Ōhira Reon's third serve once again targeted Kyōtani.
"I've got it!" Hanamaki called out, worried that Kyōtani might hesitate. He stepped across and received the ball cleanly.
Freed from the burden of receiving, Kyōtani started his approach. After holding back for two rotations, he was finally able to attack, leaping to the net with visible determination and anger.
"Guessed—wrong?" Tendō Satori, anticipating Kyōtani's attack, quickly extended his block in front of him.
The volleyball, however, landed squarely on Shiratorizawa's side.
"How could I not use such a perfect decoy?"
Kaedehara Taichi and Oikawa Tōru spoke in unison, their faces lighting up with mischievous, almost smug smiles.
Without any prior communication, just by observing Kyōtani's charged-up deanour, Kaedehara Taichi had guessed that Oikawa would never send the ball in that direction.
"Right?"
Kaedehara Taichi grinned at Oikawa.
_________
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