‘Return’ Ishikawa, should I start as a starter for the Korea-Japan match, pay attention to the Korean starting setter
- allforyouclick
- 0
- on Jun 18, 2023
This time it is a Korea-Japan match. The Korean and Japanese women’s volleyball teams clash in Brazil.
Korea and Japan will face off in the second week of the 2023 International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) Volleyball Nations League (VNL) at Nielsen Nelson Stadium in Brasilia, Brazil at 5:30 am (hereinafter referred to as Korean time) on the 16th.
Currently, Korea lost 0-3 against Turkey, Canada, USA and Thailand in the first week, followed by a 0-3 loss against Brazil, the first match of the second week. With a scoreless set in this tournament, they recorded 5 consecutive losses and are staying at the bottom among 16 participating teams. Croatia, originally ranked 16th, lost 1-3 against the United States, but gained a set goal-loss ratio advantage by winning a set. Croatia moved up to 15th. The draws in the tournament are 14th place Netherlands, Croatia and Korea. Korea is the only team with an unbeaten set.
Japan is ranked 7th in the tournament with 3 wins and 2 losses (10 points). In the first week held at home, they met the Dominican Republic (3-1), Croatia (3-0), and Bulgaria (3-0) and earned 3 wins. They then ended Week 1 with a 0-3 loss to China. Japan, which went on an expedition to Brazil, had to be satisfied with 1 point after losing 2-3 to Serbia, the first powerhouse in the second week.
In Korea, there was a big change in the 14-member roster ahead of the second week, but in Japan, new faces also joined. Japan’s main outside hitter, Mayu Ishikawa, was included in the national team roster from the second week. Middle blocker Nichika Yamada was also newly named. It is Japan that has raised its power with the joining of the two players.
Ishikawa was substituted in the match against Serbia. He briefly stepped on the court in place of middle blocker Ayaka Araki in the 3rd and 4th sets, and in the 5th set he was replaced by captain and outside hitter Sarina Nishida and scored 4 points. According to the Japan Volleyball Association, after the game, Ishikawa said, “Today, it was put in during the game. We need to make up for serve misses, and we need to continue to be responsible for scoring,” he said. It is a look that reveals the worry about decision power and the responsibility of Ace.
Previously, manager Masayoshi Manabe said about the reason for excluding Ishikawa from the list for the first week, “I am tired. I will miss the Nagoya tournament due to poor physical condition,” he said, predicting his return in the second week.
After finishing the 2022-23 season in Japan, Ishikawa decided to transfer to Florence, Italian women’s volleyball division 1 this year. It means that she will be on the stage of the Italian first division alongside her real brother, Yuki Ishikawa. It is a decision made for ‘growth’. After the announcement of her transfer, Ishikawa also mentioned that she was eliminated from the group stage of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. At that time, Japan lost to Korea, and advance to the quarterfinal tournament was frustrated. It was because at the end of the 5th set, Ishikawa gave Korea an excuse to counterattack when her left attack failed. Ishikawa herself was in great pain, so she chose a new challenge.
Of course, Ishikawa played a big role in the 2022 VNL Korea match after the Tokyo메이저사이트 Olympics. Japan defeated Korea 3-0, and Nishida and Ishikawa scored 22 and 14 points, respectively. In Korea, Kang So-hui and Park Jung-ah scored 11 and 7 points. Japan showed a strong side with a squad that has been going on since the Tokyo Olympics, and overwhelmed Korea with a score of 49-26 in team attack.
Ishikawa returns to VNL in 2023. Attention is focusing on whether he will start as a starter in the Korea-Japan match.
While Ishikawa was away, Japan built a triangular formation with Nishida, outside hitter Inoue Arisawa and Hayashi Kotona. The main setter is Nanami Seki, who was born in 1999 and is 171cm tall. Japan’s team colors are clear. He is playing speed volleyball based on his well-structured organizational skills. This alone is not enough. In order to overcome the inferiority in height, an effective serve was used as a weapon. Ahead of the VNL, coach Manabe also said, “The offense and defense numbers have risen to world-class levels. The serve is key,” he said.
Korea also needs to prepare for the Japanese serve. On the contrary, with a sharp serve, Japan’s organization should be cracked. Korea was hit with the variables of setter Kim Da-in and libero Shin Yeon-kyung’s injuries ahead of the second week, but the boldness of the newly named setter Kim Ji-won and outside hitter Kim Da-eun shined. Starting in the game against Brazil, Kim Ji-won’s game operation was stable, and Kim Da-eun’s offense was also relaxed. However, it did not last long. I lost in 3 sets as I couldn’t get past the deuce hurdle in the 1st set.
The curiosity about the starting lineup for the Korea-Japan match also grew. Setter Yeom Hye-seon was appointed as the starter in the first and second matches of the first week against Turkey and Canada, and Da-in Kim stepped on the court first in the match against the United States and Thailand. There is no set key player. It is Cesar who gives opportunities to many players. Outside hitters Park Jung-ah and Pyo Seung-joo also took a break against Brazil. At the same time, Kim Da-eun was put in as an outside heater, and Jung Ji-yoon was not an apogee. We offer a variety of player combinations. This is why I am curious about the starting members for the Korea-Japan match.