2024 72nd Kuroshiki All Japan Men's and Women's Invitational Volleyball Tournament Quarterfinals
May 4th (Sat) 12:45
Asue Arena Osaka (Osaka Municipal Central Gymnasium)
| Panasonic Panthers |
team | Hokkaido Yellow Stars |
|---|---|---|
|
3 
|
|
0 
|
Match Details
The quarterfinals of the 72nd Kuroshiki All Japan Men's and Women's Invitational Volleyball Tournament were held on Saturday, May 4th, at Asue Arena Osaka (Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture), where the Panasonic Panthers (hereinafter referred to as the Panthers) faced off against the Hokkaido Yellow Stars.
[Set 1]
Fukatsu was utilized as the setter and Nishiyama as the opposite. Early on, the team trailed by 4 points after being caught by the opponent's blocks, but they maintained their focus to score, with Tarumi bringing momentum to the team with sharp spikes. Subsequently, Nishiyama also landed spikes from a high contact point to tie the game at 10-10, and then they successfully turned the game around to 13-12 by disrupting the opponent with serves. Furthermore, Fukatsu scored with a block to take a 2-point lead, and after a good receive by Nagano, they won a long rally to seize the rhythm. With Nishiyama's block, they reached the final stage at 20-16, played calmly until the end, and took the first set 25-20.
[Set 2]
Early on, the Panthers created a pace in their favor by taking a 4-1 lead with Nishiyama's serves and other plays. Nakamoto then scored consecutive brilliant block-outs from defense to make it 7-3, allowing them to carry the game to their advantage. After reaching the technical timeout at 12-6 following a service ace by Fukatsu, the Panthers did not ease up on their attacks and deployed combination volleyball that incorporated quicks. After reaching the final stage at 20-14, even while allowing the opponent to score, they kept consecutive points conceded to a minimum, and Tarumi reliably converted a difficult toss into a point to take the second set 25-20.
[Set 3]
From the beginning, both teams traded points, and the Panthers developed their offense centered around Nishiyama. However, the opponent's thorough blocking and aggressive serving disrupted their rhythm, leaving them trailing by 3 points at 6-9. Afterward, consecutive points from Nishikawa's block and Tarumi's service ace brought the score to 10-12 at the technical timeout. They gradually applied pressure from their serves to catch up and tie the game at 15-15. From there, Tarumi, Nishikawa, and Fukatsu scored with blocks to build momentum, and a service ace by Nishikawa gave them a 21-19 lead. Although they allowed a comeback late in the set at 22-23, Kodama broke the bad flow with a sharp quick attack. Under pressure, Tarumi made a block to turn the game around at 26-25, and finally, Nishikawa secured the deuce battle with a block to win 28-26, clinching a straight-set victory and a spot in the semifinals.
In tomorrow's (May 5th) final tournament semifinal, we will face JTEKT STINGS at Asue Arena Osaka (Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture).
Comments from Coach Tillie after the match
It was a wonderful match.
The players are getting better with every game, and it makes me very happy to see that. Hokkaido Yellow Stars continued to play very well, making it a tough match, but I think we were able to prepare well and compete.
Next is the match against JTEKT STINGS, so I will do my best to achieve a good result.
Thank you for your support.
Comments from Tarumi after the match
As it was the first match of the final tournament, there were parts that went well for the team and parts that did not. In the final stages of the match, we were able to seize the momentum through our blocking and defense. It took time to adjust to the opponent's quick and pipe attacks, but being able to handle them makes this a very significant victory. We were also able to handle the opponent's strong serves well with second-ball sets, and I feel that the accumulation of those individual efforts was the key to our win.
Thank you very much for all your support again today!
