Japan finally secures win in third week: 2011 FIVB World League - Volleyball
Japanese Men’s National Volleyball Team enjoyed a hard-earned victory against Germany on Sunday, June 12. The German city of Friedrichshafen hosted the match, where Japan ousted the home team with a score of 3-2 (25-21, 25-22, 27-29, 19-25, and 16-14). It
seems the third time was the charm for the touring Japanese.
First set
The opening set of the match saw an exchange of fast serves from both sides. The players had good energy and supplied plenty of power to the ball. Japan’s Yu Koshikawa served with a lot of precision and accuracy. Meanwhile, Tatsuya Fukuzawa came strong onto
the German side. He poked the ball in rare gaps and took the Japanese score by storm. The home side tried to hinder the performance of the Japanese team but failed to maintain the right rhythm. Japan continued with success and managed to secure the opening
set with a four-point margin at 25-21.
Second set
Japanese side played sensibly and made good progress in second set as well. They put up a combined effort to keep their dominance in the game. Germany’s Jochen Schops actively participated in the offencive and created trouble for his opponents. Japan relied
on Kota Yamamura, who saved points by his solid blocking. Robert Kromm, the German skipper also played his part and chipped in points via tricky bump-passes. Both sides worked hard and it turned into a heated competition. The score soared with a narrow margin
as the Germans fought bravely but couldn’t save the second set and Japan successfully extended its lead to 2-0.
Third set
Home team hit back aggressively in the third set. They brought more strength into their attack and offered a solid defence. The good blocking action helped the German team to make a difference in the third set and Germany went up, while Japan lagged behind.
German spikers made good use of their height and produced powerful spikes. On the other hand, Japanese played fast and jumped on every little opportunity to raise their score. As a result, the game progressed with slowly. Eventually, Germany got a kill and
claimed the third set and Japan dropped the set by trailing two points behind.
Fourth set
Germans found the perfect rhythm and tone to make more progress. They demonstrated a good performance and pulled off success in the fourth set. The game score was tied at 2-2 after four sets.
Final set
It was an equal chance for both teams to win the match. The golden set was the real test of their spike and block tactics. It turned out into a point-to-point fight as both team played with all pistons firing. Japan proved to be better side and claimed victory
by winning fifth set.
Post-match comments
Tatsuya Ueta, the mentor of the Japanese team, was more than happy about the ultimate success of his team as he appreciated the good work of his players. Team captain of Japan, Daisuke Usami, said that luck was o his squads side, otherwise Sunday’s match
would have ended similarly the last match against Germany. Nevertheless, he hoped that the winning course will continue further.
The German coach, Raul Lozano, was disgruntled with the competence of his team. He said, "Both teams had the chance to win this game, but Japan today deserved the victory. In general, I’m not happy with the efficiency of our team. We did use our full potential.
We absolutely have to improve our serve and our defence."
According to Germany’s captain, Robert Kromm, his side went through a lot od strain which affected their performance. Both teams staged a level fight but victory graced the Japanese side in the end.
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