The same straight ball was answered with another straight ball!
But this time, his trajectory shot directly past Aoba Johsai's blockers!
The powerful spike flew right over their heads!
From the back row, the moment he saw it, he instinctively dove toward the landing zone!
But Akira's spike was too fast!
Before he could react, the ball had already hit the floor!!
Tweet!
The whistle blew!
Karasuno scores!
"Ugh…"
Aoba Johsai's coach, Nobuteru Irihata, looked at the court and couldn't help but sigh.
He knew that from this moment on, Aoba Johsai was slipping into a disadvantage.
Even though the team had made great strides recently, it seemed…
Karasuno hadn't wasted their time either.
And their progress was even more pronounced!!
With things like this, the match would soon mirror those past training scrimmages.
Starting at a disadvantage, continuing to fall further behind… and in the end, losing the match!!
If that's the case…
Irihata's eyes shifted toward Kentarō Kyōtani, waiting on the bench.
The "Mad Dog" .
"Huh??"
Noticing the movement, Sadayuki Mizoguchi beside him was visibly surprised.
"Coach Irihata, are you thinking of putting him in now?"
"It's a double-edged sword."
"If used poorly, he might even hurt our own side!"
"Yeah…"
At that, Nobuteru Irihata let out another sigh.
"If we keep going like this, we're bound to lose!"
"So rather than that… we should place our trust in Oikawa."
"Shake things up a bit!!"
"Still…"
Mizoguchi turned his gaze toward the court.
It was true—Aoba Johsai was starting to show cracks.
Against Karasuno's aggressive offense, their players were scrambling to stay afloat!
"But now may not be the right time."
As if reconsidering, Nobuteru Irihata suddenly changed his mind again…
"Let's have Kyōtani observe a few more rallies first."
"Maybe he'll be more effective when he finally goes in."
"Understood!"
…
On the court, the match raged on!
But to anyone with a decent understanding of volleyball, the shift was already clear—Aoba Johsai was losing ground.
Tactically, they weren't necessarily behind Karasuno.
But in terms of individual player strength, they were outmatched.
The biggest gap was Akira.
Aoba Johsai didn't have a player who could match up against Akira.
They couldn't block his attacks!!
And when that's the case, no matter how precise their tactics were, they couldn't threaten Karasuno!
Akira's spikes and blocks had become a complete nightmare for Aoba Johsai!!
Tweet!
Akira launched another attack from the flank!
Point!!
"Damn it!"
Tōru Oikawa watched the court, his frustration plain to see.
Akira's strength wasn't just hype.
But even when they gave it their all, they couldn't even touch his spikes!
And that was the real issue…
As long as any one of their three front-row blockers was slightly off, Akira would find that weak spot and smash through!!
They'd seen it before—back during their previous training matches!
Could it be…
Should they return to the tactic of not blocking Akira at all??
But they already knew from experience—doing that only made things worse!
So what exactly were they supposed to do? _
"That kid Oikawa… it's a real shame."
In the audience, Shiratorizawa's coach, Tanji Washijō, looked on and sighed.
"If only he had accepted my offer to come to Shiratorizawa…"
"Things wouldn't have ended up like this."
"In three years, he hasn't made it to the Spring Interhigh even once!"
"He must be starting to question his choices now."
…
"Let's go, Karasuno!!"
"Come on, Aoba Johsai! Fight!!"
…
As time passed, the game grew increasingly intense.
Both teams treated every single point like it was match point—refusing to give even an inch!
Tweet!
Following the referee's whistle, Akira's jump serve launched again!!
Even though Aoba Johsai's back row had adjusted and tried their best to receive it, they still couldn't handle the shifting float of the ball!
That was already his fourth point on serve!
The mix of forceful jump serves and floating jump serves left Aoba Johsai completely off balance!
Earlier, Kageyama had already scored three points for Karasuno off his serve!
Now the score had widened—Karasuno 14:6 Aoba Johsai!
Bang!
Another jump serve!!
On the opposite end, Shinji Watari tracked it down and dove for it!
Thud!
The unmistakable feel of the ball hitting his arms traveled up to his shoulders!
Watari's heart leapt with hope!!
But before he could celebrate, the received ball ricocheted straight into the net due to poor control!!
"Chance ball!"
Yū Nishinoya's eyes lit up. He stepped forward and secured the pass with confidence!
Hinata and the others surged forward!!
Kageyama set it up!
Bang!
Tanaka slammed it straight down the line!
Though the ball bypassed Aoba Johsai's front-row blockers, it headed straight toward Iwaizumi's position in the back row!
He positioned himself perfectly for the receive!
Oikawa leapt!!
Back-row attack—unleashed!!
Bang!
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