Powerful spikes are a crowd-pleasing, attention-grabbing aspect of volleyball.
Spikes produce points, and teams with an effective attack possess one of the key components of success in the fast-paced sport.
Successful attackers are always in the spotlight in the sport's glamour position, hammering away at the ball from various angles throughout a match. Equally important, of course, is the role of setters in getting the ball to attackers at opportune times and in optimal locations.
Masahiro Sekita, Japan's starting setter, has been a steady force for the team during the ongoing FIVB Men's Volleyball Nations League, a 16-nation tournament that runs from June 6 to July 23. Pool play is divided between six host nations (Canada, Japan, the Netherlands, France, United States and the Philippines) before the tourney shifts to Poland for the final round.
Japan has excelled as a team thanks to the dynamic one-two punch of attackers Yuki Ishikawa and Ran Takahashi and other key players. Ishikawa is second overall in attack points (124) and Takahashi is third (122) through June 25. Only Abdel-Aziz Nimir of the Netherlands (134) has scored more points for his team.
And this is directly linked to the attack stats of Ishikawa and Takahashi: Sekita is second in assists with 146, trailing Brazil's Bruno Rezende (168) for the overall lead.
Japan sits atop the standings with an 8-0 record, followed by the United States (7-1) and Brazil, Slovenia and Poland (all with 6-2 records).
Upcoming Volleyball Nations League Matches
A fifth-place finisher at the 2022 Men's Volleyball Nations League, Japan returns to competition in Week 3 for the next phase of pool play on July 4 against China in Pasay, the Philippines. That duel is followed by matches there against the Netherlands (July 7), Italy (July 8) and Poland (July 9).
Will Japan qualify for the quarterfinals in Gdansk, Poland? The four matches listed in the previous paragraph will provide that answer.
So far, so good.
Japan head coach Philippe Blain, who has been at the helm since October 2021, is getting potent production from Ishikawa and Takahashi. And Sekita, a 29-year-old Tokyo native is setting both of them up to succeed.
Consecutive wins over Iran, Serbia, Bulgaria and France in Week 1, followed by successive victories over Canada, Cuba, Brazil and Argentina in Week 2 showcased Sekita's consistency, alert court vision and athleticism.
Victories over Quality Opponents
In the current world rankings released on Wednesday, June 28, Japan is listed as the sixth-ranked team. En route to eight wins to date in the Men's Volleyball Nations League, Japan defeated four teams currently in the world's top 10: Brazil (third), France (fifth), Argentina (seventh) and Serbia (ninth). During Week 2's action, Sekita registered 19, 29, 23 and 21 assists against Canada (June 20), Cuba (June 21), Brazil (June 22) and Argentina (June 24).
Sekita highlighted Japan's effective offensive attack in its four-set victory over Serbia.
"To win as a team is the most important thing here. Serbia has very tall blockers, so our hitters had to be very efficient in attack," Sekita was quoted as saying by the Asian Volleyball Confederation website.
One reason that goal was possible was because Sekita, who plays for the V.League's JTEKT Stings, performed his job successfully.
And in a hard-fought triumph (22-25, 25-21, 25-23, 25-20) over Brazil on June 22, Takahashi, a 21-year-old Kyoto native who played for the Italian pro volleyball club Pallavolo Padova from 2021-23, noted that his team's tactics were successful. He cited Japan's ability to consistently attack against the South American team.
"I think we were able to show Japanese volleyball from the beginning," Takahashi said, according to The Hochi Shimbun. "The opponent has the best offensive power in the world. We broke the serve and didn't let the opponent create a rhythm."
Insight on the Japan Volleyball Team's Performances
Blain, the 1986 FIVB World Championship MVP, said Japan's victory over Brazil combined physicality and a positive mindset.
"Technique and tactics are important. But I told them that the willingness to attack and the ability to believe in themselves are the most essential in this scene," the French mentor was quoted as saying by Japan's Volleyball Magazine. "And they did it."
Leading the attack alongside team captain Ishikawa, who also plies his craft in the Italian SuperLega, Takahashi said the Japanese players' goal was to create excitement for volleyball fans.
"There is no doubt that people around the world are interested in volleyball and that they enjoy watching it," Takahashi, who will play for Italy's Vero Volley Monza in the 2023-24 season, told the Japanese sports newspaper. "In order to win, the most interesting play is to raise the atmosphere of the team, so that the audience enjoys it."
Trending Japan
Eight matches is a large enough sample size to identify a few meaningful statistical trends.
Chief among them for Japan at the ongoing Volleyball Nations League are a dynamic one-two attack (Ishikawa and Takahashi) and Sekita's role as their primary facilitator of the ball.
After a victory over Bulgaria on June 10, Blain commended Sekita for his effort, which included 22 assists and 69 attempts. In other words, a busy match for him.
The coach noted that Sekita kept the opponent guessing as he "used attack variations," according to Volleyball Magazine.
While in attack mode, Ishikawa and Takahashi were definitely pleased with the variety of passes they received to smash the ball over the net.
And not just against Bulgaria. This has been a recurring theme throughout the Volleyball Nations League.
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Author: Ed Odeven
Find Ed on JAPAN Forward's dedicated website, SportsLook. Follow his [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and Twitter ＠ed_odeven.
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