The last day of Spring High...
The vast Central Gymnasium is packed early with spectators who came to witness the final match.
Although reporters from various sports networks hadn't interviewed the players of Karasuno and Itachiyama yesterday, they still scrambled to cover today's Spring High Final across every major station!
"Karasuno! Karasuno!"
"Itachiyama! Let's go!!"
...
In the stands outside the court, waves of cheering and chanting echoed nonstop.
Both Karasuno and Itachiyama have massive fanbases.
Even before the match officially started, fans of both teams were already shouting themselves hoarse.
Then, the two teams slowly stepped onto the court!
After the warm-up, the match officially began!!
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The referee's whistle shrilled from outside the court!
The first serve went to Itachiyama.
Serving first was Itachiyama's third-year setter and captain!
His serving technique was incredibly powerful!
Hinata, positioned in the back row, shifted slightly sideways and reached out for the serve, but—
Smack!
A sharp sound rang out as the ball flew right past him!
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Another whistle from the referee!
Itachiyama scores on the serve!
...
After a shaky start, Karasuno quickly regained their composure.
Although Itachiyama's strength was formidable, Akira's powerful attacks began to chip away at their defenses.
However, compared to other teams, what set Itachiyama apart was...
Their defense was absurdly strong!
When Karasuno had only observed them on video, they hadn't fully grasped it.
But once they stood on the same court, the reality hit them!
As one of the top three aces in the nation, Kiyoomi Sakusa didn't earn that title in his second year for nothing.
His true strength wasn't just in his devastating topspin spikes, but in his ability to receive.
No matter how sharp the attack, if it entered his defensive zone, there was a real chance it'd be picked up!
And their libero, Motoya Komori—who had trained at the Youth Camp alongside Akira and Kageyama—was just as incredible.
During that camp, Akira had exchanged a few words with him.
Motoya Komori was the only one who could reliably receive Akira's spinning spikes!
At the camp, he had explained: just before the ball was about to be hit, he could read the general direction of the spin by analyzing the rotation patterns on the volleyball!
As long as he could read the spin...
Even Akira's signature shots weren't a problem for Komori!!
And in this kind of situation, Akira had no easy counter.
Being able to track the spin pattern on a fast-spinning ball—some things are simply a matter of talent!
Still, Karasuno's offense was gradually slowed by Komori's persistent defense.
That's when Akira switched tactics again!
He unleashed his arc ball!
Before the Interhigh tournament, Akira had practiced this unconventional technique with Kageyama.
But by now, he no longer relied on Kageyama's specific tosses to execute it.
Even off a standard topspin set, he could create a special arcing trajectory!
That said, thanks to their long hours of training together, most of Kageyama's tosses now were spinless!
The moment Akira deployed his arc ball, it caught Itachiyama completely off guard!
Thanks to this new offensive strategy, Karasuno dominated the first set with a commanding lead!
Outside the court, the audience held their breath. No one dared to celebrate prematurely.
In the previous match between Itachiyama and Inarizaki, Inarizaki had also won the first set...
But they still lost that semifinal.
And today's final is a best-of-five!
This was just the beginning.
After a short break, the second set began.
But Itachiyama still couldn't shake their disadvantage!
Until they found a way to deal with Akira's strange arc shots, they were stuck playing passively.
Fortunately for them, Itachiyama slowly started adapting to Akira's attack.
With Sakusa gradually unleashing more of his power, their overall rhythm improved compared to the first set.
Still, the gap remained!
The serves from Akira and Kageyama were key to widening that gap!
Under this pressure, Itachiyama couldn't hold on—and lost the second set.
That outcome was shocking for a powerhouse like Itachiyama.
They had never been pushed into a corner like this before.
After a brief moment of panic, their coach helped them recover mentally.
Itachiyama's coach, Suzaku Kiyomitsu, was a shrewd and experienced veteran. His nephew, Suzaku , currently led one of the top teams in Japan's V1 League.
When the third set began, Itachiyama immediately seized on a Karasuno mistake and took the lead.
But the tide shifted once again—thanks to the serving rotation of Akira and Kageyama!
Itachiyama wasn't lacking in powerful servers—on the contrary, their serving prowess was among the best in the country.
But compared to Akira's serve, theirs still fell short.
Serve after serve, Karasuno's advantage snowballed. Though Itachiyama occasionally surged ahead with their impressive strength...
Karasuno's calm under pressure—honed through all their past battles—proved decisive!
They didn't panic. They leaned on their strength and steadied the game!
In the end, Karasuno clinched the final victory of the match!!
As the last ball landed, the referee's sharp whistle echoed through the gym, bringing the match to an end!
In the stands, the crowd erupted like a tidal wave, their cheers shaking the entire stadium, as though it might blow the roof off!
Everyone was celebrating the rise of a new champion—Karasuno!