IT wasn’t necessarily the first meeting Farm Fresh head coach Shota Sato and new guest import Tamaru Asaka envisioned against their former team and defending PVL Invitational Conference champion Kurashiki Ablaze.
The Japanese side made quick work of the Foxies in a 25-13, 25-16, 25-16 rout for their second win in as many days, and eighth straight without defeat since their title-winning debut campaign in 2023.
READ: Kurashiki Ablaze looks better than ever as it eyes PVL repeat
Despite the loss, reuniting with Ablaze, albeit as opponents this time, was a treat for Sato and his partner Tamaru Asaka — and at the same time, ignited the Farm Fresh mentor’s desire to bring a winning brand of volleyball featuring the styles of play in both his homeland and his home away from home.
“I’m happy to experience Japanese volleyball again (vs. Kurashiki) because the way they move the ball is very effective,” Sato said in Nihonggo.
Asaka added: “I regret not getting the win I really wanted over Ablaze. We lost, but I’m really enjoying my time so far with Farm Fresh.”
The former PVL best outside hitter returned to the country as ZUS Coffee’s foreign guest player in its winless Reinforced Conference campaign.
Then with only two days of training, Asaka heeded the call to be the Foxies' last-minute replacement import for the Invitationals.
Her goal in this week-long tilt? Help build their ‘mental toughness.’
“With ZUS, almost all the players were still very young and lacked experience. That’s why we fell short and had a hard time executing our strategies in games. Farm Fresh also has a young group of players, but they’re more experienced and have a lot of potential as a team,” Asaka said.
“They still lack mental toughness. It’s still a bit weak, but I hope I can help them bring out that potential to be stronger mentally.”
Nothing but the best
Kurashiki head coach Hideo Suzuki, Farm Fresh’s concurrent team consultant, says the bond remains strong between him and his former Ablaze mates, as he hopes Asaka and Sato continue to grow in their new home.
“I heard Tamaru only recently joined Farm Fresh, so I think they didn't have much time to prepare. But I can see their game is gradually improving. As for Shota, I just need to help him level up,” said Suzuki.
“On our part, it was a good performance because we finally played the Ablaze way of volleyball.
“It doesn’t matter for us which team we face. We’ll just do what we do and play our game the way we know best,” he added ahead of a sought-after rematch of the 2023 Invitational Conference finals with Creamline on Sunday.
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