matchday programMatchday Program

Hello everyone. I'm analyst Kyogo Iwasawa. Our opponent this week is the Nippon Steel Sakai Blazers (hereinafter referred to as Nippon Steel Sakai BZ).

Nippon Steel Sakai BZ is a team that leverages their serve reception and blocking, and they actively use relief servers to create momentum. Regarding serve reception, they are led by Libero #6 Mori, who has a 55.8% success rate (1st in the league), and the team as a whole also ranks 1st in the league in serve reception (43.4% success rate). Additionally, they rank 2nd in the league with 2.14 blocks per set. As for relief servers, #8 Naoto Akima, who specializes in high-speed floater serves, and #17 Ryunosuke Uemura, who once recorded 7 consecutive breaks and specializes in jump serves, are frequent substitutes, and their aggressive serves require close attention.

Players to watch are #7 Palonsky, #9 Cai, and #14 Yamaguchi.

Palonsky is an outside hitter from Argentina who stands 198cm tall. He has a wide variety of attacks, including attacks from both sides and pipe attacks, as well as spikes cutting in from the right side and A-quick attacks. He specializes in jump serves aimed at the left side and mixes them with floater serves to vary the pace.

Tsai is a middle blocker from Taiwan who stands 205cm tall and specializes in A-quick attacks. He is capable of hitting to both cross and turn angles while adjusting his hitting position in mid-air, and he currently has an attack success rate of 54.2%. For his serve, he uses a floater serve that changes depth from a high contact point, as well as a hybrid serve delivered with the same motion.

Yamaguchi is a 174cm setter who tends to distribute the ball frequently to the player who just received the serve. Regarding his distribution, he uses few pipe attacks and favors the right side during transition attacks. He can serve tactically anywhere on the court, mixing in short serves while changing his serving position.

Hello everyone, and it has been a while. I am looking forward to the scoring battle between the opposites in this week's match against the Blazers. I am also excited to see how Lopez blocks the opposing opposite, Vernon, who is known for his height and power. I hope you enjoy the match in many different ways. Until we meet again.

• Click here for home game information for the 2025 Regular Round Section 19 GAME 1 on Saturday, March 15, 2025.
• Click here for home game information for the 2025 Regular Round Section 19 GAME 2 on Sunday, March 16, 2025.

After 34 league matches, you have 29 wins and 5 losses. You are maintaining the top spot, but you suffered your first two-game losing streak of the season against Suntory last weekend. With 10 matches left in the regular season, how is the team's current situation?

As the league season approaches its final stages, we faced the difficult situation of Thomas getting injured, both mentally and physically. Even in such circumstances, we held a meeting at the beginning of this week to discuss how we can play our best volleyball with the players we have now. We are working on clarifying the tasks we need to address and what our team style is once again, and we are making efforts to become stronger from here on out. Even though it is a difficult time, I think the players have become clear on the goal of rebuilding the strongest team and are working hard in practice.

Reserve players are getting more opportunities to play. I believe their performance will be crucial to fighting through this long season until the very end.

Those who start have a responsibility as starters, but we don't play volleyball with just seven people, so the strength of the reserve players is absolutely necessary. They are teammates who train together every day, so for me, I want those who work hard daily to shine in official matches as a place to express that effort, and I strongly feel that I want to rely on their strength if the chance arises. I hope they will continue to prepare to give their best when they get into a match and never neglect their daily training.

About a month has passed since you took over as acting head coach for Coach Tillie. How has it been?

Being in a managerial position for the first time in my life is challenging because of the sense of responsibility to make decisions on practice content, player selection, and tactics, but it is very rewarding, and I am grateful for the opportunity to gain this experience. Although it is a short period as an acting manager, I am doing my best every day with the desire for everyone to succeed, while feeling the gravity and responsibility of being entrusted with a part of the players' lives.

Your opponent this weekend is the Nippon Steel Sakai Blazers. Having played them four times so far, please tell us what will be the key to victory.

I think they will challenge us with a lot of energy as they fight for a playoff spot. Therefore, first of all, we must not be on the defensive mentally. If you are on the defensive against any opponent, you will surely lose in terms of spirit. I think we should fight with a strong belief that we will do what we need to do.
Technically, the opponent has very good serves and a high block, so we must avoid direct points by not returning the ball to them in reception. Also, to reduce blocked shots, I want them to play with a hot heart and a cool head, by taking rebounds smartly and trusting their teammates to cover.

Please give a message to the fans who are looking forward to a home victory.

Since it has been a while since our last home game, I think we will be able to show you a different kind of volleyball this weekend, while you feel our evolution, the growth of the players, and what we are trying to achieve. And since the Bluteon players really enjoy playing volleyball, I hope you will also enjoy the game of volleyball itself along with us.

Last weekend's matches against Suntory resulted in your first two-game losing streak of the season.
How do you intend to use this experience for the future, both as an individual and as a team?

Personally, my first priority is to eliminate minor mistakes. I want to be able to make situational judgments that take into account various factors, such as the role I can play and the abilities of my teammates, and I feel that I need to be more conscious of "trusting those around me" and "fighting as a member of the team."
Including the Emperor's Cup, we have now lost three games in a row, and I keenly felt that Bluteon is still lacking compared to the individual and team strength of our opponents. However, I think this defeat has become a good catalyst for us to grow even further.

You are getting more playing opportunities, not just as a substitute but also as a starter.

Regarding my increased playing time, everyone has different conditions, and I think it is a good thing that I am able to demonstrate my value within the formation that allows the team to perform at its best, so I hope to connect that to team victories. Compared to other middle blockers, my strength is not so much in height, but in putting stress on the opponent—rather than stuffing them, it's more about getting a touch. While it is important to create good momentum for ourselves, I believe my specialty is "not letting the momentum shift to the opponent," so I want to value that.

You contribute to the team through active participation in serve receive, as well as your serving and blocking in crucial moments. Is there anything you are conscious of during matches?

As for serve receive, I believe my strength is that I can be more proactive than other middle blockers. It doesn't affect me much to receive, so I join in on receive so that the outside hitters can concentrate on attacking, with the intention of not lowering the team's overall offensive power.
Regarding my serve, I can sort of tell when the opponent is letting their guard down (laughs). When I serve at those times, it often results in a point. Also, I have a sense for when the setter wants to set a pipe, so I try to jump to block at those moments.

This weekend, you will face Nippon Steel Sakai Blazers. You have already played them four times away this season; what is your impression of the opponent, and what is necessary to win?

They are a team that frequently rotates in relief servers and one-point blockers, so their lineup isn't fixed, but they play consistently even with those changes, which makes them difficult for me to face. On offense, we want to stick to our own style rather than adjusting to the opponent, and on defense, I think it's important that we communicate as a team and adapt to the situation. They have a powerhouse player like Vernon who can finish points even in tough situations, and they are a good defensive team as well, so we need to play our own brand of volleyball and use this to step up toward the finals.

Please give a message to the fans who are looking forward to a victory.

I'll do my best!

• #19 Player Keitaro Nishikawa Profile