"—And just like that, a setter dump scores the opening point!"
"What a bold py from Aoba Johsai's setter, #1—Oikawa Tōru!" excimed ōtomo, the entator.
Throughout the matches leading up to this point, Oikawa had left a deep impression on ōtomo.
As a setter of such calibre, it was almost unthinkable that this was his first time peting at Nationals, only in his third year. ōtomo and Aoi had ofteed the cruel realities of the National tour system during their post-entary discussions.
"Perhaps some of you watg haven't heard his name before, but mark my words: after this Nationals, the name Oikawa Tōru will be known across the entire try!"
Aoi gently patted his overly enthusiastimentator, trying to calm him down.
"Truly, the Demonic Third Day. Not a sieam that's made it this far is easy to deal with…" Mujinazaka's setter, Usuri Michiru, muttered as he gazed at the court.
With Aoba Johsai in possession, Oikawa stepped up to the service line.
ōtomo, already standing in anticipation, looked like he was being Oikawa's number-one cheerleader, much to Aoi's amusement.
Boom!
"A service ace!"
"Oikawa's serving ability is truly top-notch, even oional stage! Mujinazaka's libero, Bishin Haruma, couldn't rea time."
"This kind of serve takes some getting used to…" Aoi quickly added, bang the entary to avoid fav one side too much.
[Aoba Johsai 2 – 0 Mujinazaka]
Oikarepared for his sed serve. The ball floated over the with a deceptive trajectory, dropping sharply into Mujinazaka's court.
Wing spiker Ezota Naoharu dived to receive it but miscalcuted, and the ball deflected out of bounds.
"Back-to-back points!"
"Oikawa switches seamlessly between two types of serves, sg three secutive points against National-level pyers with pure skill!"
"Ohhh—!"
"YEAH!!"
Aoba Johsai's pyers erupted iement, celebrating their ideal start to the match. The fwless execution of their opening strategy brought visible satisfa to the team.
[Aoba Johsai 3 – 0 Mujinazaka]
"Even if you gave me another year, I don't think I'd reach that level…" Usuri Michiru said with a wry smile, pretending to wipe ent sweat from his brow.
"My bad, I couldn't ha…" Ezota apologized quietly.
"Don't worry about it. Just reizing it was a float serve is impressive enough. Setters aly dirty," Unnan Keisuke teased, patting his teammate's shoulder.
"..." Usuri chose silence, his lips twitg.
"If we lose points on serves, I'll make up for it with mine." Kiryū Wakatsu's calm yet determined voice cut through the tension. In stark trast to his emotionally intricate off-court persona, he radiated unwavering focus during the match.
Oikawa unched his third serve.
Switg between serve styles could fuse oppos, but it also increased the risk of errors. This time, the ball sailed out of bounds.
[Aoba Johsai 3 – 1 Mujinazaka]
"Whew—" Mujinazaka's pyers collectively exhaled in relief. If Oikawa's serves had scored any more points, they would have been in serious trouble right from the start.
Now it was Mujinazaka's turn to serve. Wing spiker Hondo Subaru opted for a powerful jump serve, aiming for an aggressive py.
Iwaizumi Hajime stepped in to receive, his arms f a steady ptform that sent the ball ly back to Oikawa.
"Who will the set go to?"
"Mad Dog-!" Oikawa's quick decisiohe ball s high to the right wing.
Kyōtaarō charged forward, his approach perfectly timed. He leapt with explosive energy and spiked the ball with full force.
"Block him!"
"Triple block!" Mujinazaka's middle blockers, Unnan Keisuke aa Naoharu, along with Kiryū Wakatsu, formed an imperable wall in front of Kyōtani.
They were fast—too fast.
No gaps.
All three blockers were over 180 cm tall, with Unnan and Kiryū t at 190 d 188 cm, respectively.
"Smack!"
Kyōtani's cross-court attack was met squarely by Unnan's block, the ball rebounding sharply into Aoba Johsai's court.
Mujinazaka scored on the block!
[Aoba Johsai 3 – 2 Mujinazaka]
"Mujinazaka's blog lineup has lightning-fast reflexes!"
"One of Mujinazaka's twin towers, Unnan Keisuke, perfectly blocks Aoba Johsai's #16 spike!" The entator Aoi seized the ce to showcase his analysis.
"What a spectacur block!"
The three Mujinazaka front-row pyers exged high-fives, their energy palpable.
This marked the first time Kyōtaarō, despite a fwless setup, had his cross-court spike blocked.
Oikawa Tōru g him briefly, noting that Kyōtani's fighting spirit remained unshaken, and refrained from saying anything further.
"For his sed serve, Hondo Subaru once again opts for an aggressive attack, but unfortunately, the ball flies out of bounds."
"It seems that falling behind early has shaken Mujinazaka's pyers a little…"
[Aoba Johsai 4 – 2 Mujinazaka]
"Sorry—"
"Don't worry about it, point!"
Aoba Johsai's serve rotated to Kindaichi, whose jump serve cked much power. Mujinazaka's libero, Bishin Haruma, received it with ease.
"Here it es! Go, Waka-!"
Setter Usuri Michiru lofted the ball high toward the right wing, where Kiryū Wakatsu began his approach from the back row.
Oep, two steps, three steps. Kiryū surged into the air, his chest thrust forward as his right arm traced a wide arc, striking the ball with a thunderous force.
"Triple block!" Kaedehara Taichi, Hanamaki Takahiro, and Kyōtaarō leaped to form a solid wall.
Smack!
The volleyball ricocheted off Kyōtani's hands and smashed into Aoba Johsai's court.
Kiryū Wakatsu scored with a powerful spike!
[Aoba Johsai 4 – 3 Mujinazaka]
!!!
"What a monstrous spike from Kiryū Wakatsu!"
"He pletely disregards the block! This is the strength of one of the nation's top three aces!"
"The Middle Blocker on Aoba Johsai's right wing was sent sprawling by that devastating shot!"
Across the , Kiryū Wakatsu locked eyes with Kyōtaarō, who was still sitting on the court. Both gred at each other with unyieldiermination.
"So frustrating!" muttered Kindaichi, who had just rotated to the back row and was tasked specifically with defending against Kiryū. Mujinazaka's sudden lineup shuffle had caught Aoba Johsai off guard.
"Mujinazaka's ace, Kiryū, really gives off an aura of immerength, doesn't he? And his jumping ability is equally impressive!" Aoi expined with a smile.
"It's said that Mujinazaka has put a tremendous emphasis on physical training!"
"Kiryū's spiking teique is also intriguing. How should I put it? It seems like his approach is slightly more to the left pared to most pyers," eomo, showg his teical expertise.
"It's not just a stylistic quirk. When Kiryū spikes, he focuses on elling as much of his body weight as possible into his dominant hand. He's the type to prioritize sheer power over precision in ball pt," Aoi added fidently.
"Wow, Aoi-sensei knows so much…"
"Hahaha, these details are actually featured in this month's Volleyball Monthly. Ied viewers pick up a copy after the match!"
Mujinazaka's serve rotated to Unnan Keisuke. Despite his t stature, his serve was unremarkable.
Watanabe Shinji received it with practised ease, passing the ball ly to Oikawa Tōru. At the same time, Taichi appeared on the left wing, ready for an attack.
"Here we go!"
The ball arced perfectly to Taichi, who hammered it down with precision.
Smack!
"Targeted blog! Mujinazaka's other 'tower,' Nozomu, mao get a hand on Kaedehara's spike!"
The ball deflected once.
Hondo Subaru scrambled to chase it down a bato py.
"Wakatsu-senpai!" Usuri Michiru called out once again as he sent the ball toward the left wing again.
It was slightly lower this time.
Kiryū Wakatsu took a siep and unched himself skyward.
Boom!
"Kiryū Wakatsu scores from the left wing! Mujinazaka ties the game!"
"That set was slightly low, making it a difficult ball to attack," Aoi observed keenly.
"But even with a poor setup, Kiryū Wakatsu tur into a point. That's why he's called the Bad Ball Specialist Kiryū Wakatsu! Absolutely relentless!"
[Aoba Johsai 4 – 4 Mujinazaka]
_________
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