But this is also a last resort. If Shiratorizawa can't handle Akira's spike…
That kind of outcome is the last thing they want!!
Creak!
After a short break, the two sides switch courts again!
Under the referee's whistle, the third set begins once more!
And this set is do-or-die for Shiratorizawa!
If they lose this one…
Then they'll be eliminated from the tournament and lose the entire match!
...
Now the first serve is on Karasuno's side!
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Shōyō Hinata served the ball toward Shiratorizawa!
Smack!
In Shiratorizawa's back row, Hayato Yamagata calmly turned and received the serve!
As Kenjirō Shirabu prepared to set, Wakatoshi Ushijima had already circled behind, ready to strike from the back row!
"Right wing!"
On the other side of the net, Akira and the others immediately recognized the intent!
All three moved to close in on Ushijima at the front!
But this time, Shirabu suddenly made a quick set to the middle!
It's a quick attack!!
However, Tobio Kageyama, who was on the left, swiftly adjusted his position and raised his arms!
The quick attack executed by Taichi Kawanishi was blocked directly by him!
Tweet!
The referee's whistle blew again from the sidelines!
Karasuno scores!
...
"Great read!"
In the stands, Ikkei Ukai narrowed his eyes.
That block just now was incredibly composed!
Facing Shiratorizawa's sudden shift in attack, Kageyama had clearly anticipated it!
You could tell—this wasn't the first time he'd encountered this kind of play!
That's why he was able to react so confidently in such a short time!
"Looks like this group of kids from Karasuno has really grown from their training matches."
"Absolutely."
Yūsuke Takinoue nodded from beside him.
"Watching this team compete for a spot at Nationals… it's honestly really moving!"
"Let's not jinx it."
Makoto Shimada shook his head slightly.
"They still haven't won the qualifiers yet!"
"Ha!"
Takinoue laughed heartily.
"True, but given how things are going, it's pretty clear who the final victor will be!"
At that, Shimada couldn't help but smile and nod.
"You're not wrong!"
...
In the stands, cheerleaders from both sides continued their chants, while the game on court carried on.
This third set is the key turning point—when both teams transition from their peak to the start of their decline.
The second set saw both teams slowly heating up, getting into rhythm.
And in the first half of this third set, their performance is peaking.
But afterward, as fatigue sets in, both teams' form will gradually begin to dip.
That's why this set is so critical.
Whoever can build a point lead before the slump begins—
Will likely be the one to take this game!
Creak!
On the court, Akira's serve is effective once again!
Karasuno scores another point!
And now, the score stands at Karasuno 10, Shiratorizawa 8!
Karasuno already has a two-point lead!
And now, it's Akira's turn to serve again!
So, no one on Shiratorizawa can afford to take this lightly!
After all, in the previous set, it was Eita Semi who received Akira's serve at the cost of injuring himself!
As the referee's whistle blew, his serve started again!
...
"Shiratorizawa…"
"It's not looking good anymore."
Takeshi Mitsuda furrowed his brows as he watched the situation unfold on the court...
For Shiratorizawa, allowing Karasuno to build an early lead in this set is incredibly dangerous!
Because in the last set, they'd already burned a lot of stamina trying to handle Akira's spinning spikes…
Their energy reserves are dangerously low!
Even with a double setter system, it only slightly eases the burden.
It doesn't fully eliminate their physical fatigue!
That means, in terms of stamina, their slump will hit earlier than Karasuno's!
If Karasuno maintains the lead before that decline sets in, it's going to be incredibly difficult for Shiratorizawa to catch up!
At the very least, if the scores were even, they'd still have a chance to fight back!!
...
But right now, that's clearly not the case on the court.
Even though Akira's service rotation is over—
Because at this point, he also needs to manage his physical output wisely—
During his serving run, he scored a total of five points!
That kind of lead—five full points—isn't something easily erased!
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