IT hasn’t been all glitz and glamour for fan favorite Japan in the Philippine leg of the 2024 Volleyball Men’s Nations League (VNL).
The reigning VNL bronze medalists slid from third to sixth in the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) World Rankings just after a tough five-set loss to Canada in the opener.
And although now Olympic-bound, Japan is still on the brink of missing out on a quarterfinals berth due to its 6-3 standing, which is only good for sixth place as of the moment.
READ: Canada edges VNL crowd darling Japan in five-set thriller
From missing out on opening week to limited preparation time, there's several possible reasons why Japan is dealing with a slump in form.
But for star trio Ran Takahashi, Yuji Nishida, and team captain Yuki Ishikawa, part of making strides the rest of the way is first acknowledging that even the best fall sometimes.
Yes, even the Japanese team that has most - if not all - of the crowd inside Mall of Asia Arena behind it.
“ We (Ran, Yuji, Yuki) had just one week or two weeks of practice. I think we are not perfect. We need more communication with each player. Then we have to create more (opportunities) for the team,” said Takahashi, who was held to 13 points in the defeat.
“We have to improve our reception (and) we have our eyes on a solution. Canada has a really nice and higher block. I think we can do much better,” he added.
Japan’s ‘best volleyball’ yet to come
From before the start of the Manila leg to their first defeat, the mission remains the same for captain Ishikawa: show their best volleyball.
“The crowd was amazing. We are so happy to play here again. Today we lost, but next match, we will try to win. We have two days off, so (we can work on) some things to be better," the skipper said after his 19-point showing.
“It’s amazing to play here again this year. When we make points, the crowd cheers us on, so we’re so happy and excited. Thank you for supporting and we will show our best volleyball.”
Following his own 19-point output, Nishida shared the same sentiments, by saying: “They're (Canada) so high-level. Respect. Major respect to the opponent. There are points that I can (work on for) the next game. Most importantly, the communication and, obviously, the passion."
“Every single play is important. I think today was not our kind of game. Many times, we didn't have good plays. Kudos to Canada.”
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