It was Karasuno who got the first serve!
As the referee blew the instruction whistle, Hinata, who was in the back row, served directly!
Whoosh!
Although Karasuno has been practicing jump Serves recently, they're clearly not yet at a level where it can be effectively used in competition.
The ball was directly received by Kenro Fukatani, Sarukawa Tech's main attacker in the back row.
Perfect!
Seeing the flying pass, Itaru Shiramine, the setter, was overjoyed.
From his gaze, you could tell the setter's read was solid!
Itaru Shiramine scanned Karasuno's formation across the net with his peripheral vision.
He remembered what Coach Shishio had told them before going on the court:
Avoid Karasuno's No. 7 at all costs.
Shift your tactical focus elsewhere.
Now, seeing Karasuno's setup, Itaru had already decided how to play this ball.
Brush!
He leapt straight up!
The ball flew toward their main attacker, Iori Kanazawa.
At the same time, Itaru gave him a signal.
"Hmm!"
As teammates with three years of chemistry and a tactical meeting under their belt, Iori instantly understood.
On the other side of the net, the moment Itaru made his set, Akira moved!
"Right wing!"
Thanks to countless practice matches, Karasuno's defensive system had grown stronger by the day.
The moment Akira called it out, everyone was already moving into position!
Hinata backed up to cover potential out-of-bounds shots, while Tanaka stayed close to the blocker to defend against a tip.
Asahi positioned himself further back to guard against straight shots.
Kageyama, not involved in the block, moved diagonally to cover a cross shot!
It was a display of defensive awareness born from trial and error.
Syllable!
On Sarukawa Tech's side, Iori Kanazawa also jumped!
But his swing this time was slightly different from a standard spike.
Akira, ever observant, immediately noticed the change!
He knew this kind of move well.
Nekoma had used this tactic before—
Rebound!
Akira adjusted his hand shape mid-air.
Syllable!
"Touched it!"
Blocker!
The ball flew high to Karasuno's back row.
Karasuno's chance ball!
Oops!
Seeing the result, Sarukawa Tech players couldn't help but feel their hearts sink.
Coach Shishio, standing off court, tensed up even more.
This No. 7... he's even stronger than in the videos!
Iori Kanazawa, full of confidence just moments ago, turned pale.
The result of this play wasn't what he envisioned at all.
Originally, he intended for the ball to bounce off Akira's block and back to their side—a planned tactic!
They had discussed this strategy in detail.
They knew they couldn't break through Karasuno's defense with the first attack.
They knew exactly how formidable Karasuno's No. 7 was.
In their review of the Karasuno vs. Shiratorizawa footage, they saw it clearly:
Even Ushijima's smashes were blocked multiple times by him!
Only later did Ushijima start to break through.
That's Wakatoshi Ushijima!
One of the top three aces in the country!
A regular in volleyball magazines, a famous powerhouse!
Even he was stopped by Karasuno's No. 7!
Sarukawa Tech had no illusions about being stronger than Ushijima.
So their plan was simple:
Keep forcing thug rebounds!
Attack again and again!
Keep testing Karasuno's blocking line until it showed cracks from the constant motion.
Even if they didn't score right away, they'd wear down their opponents.
Experienced hunters don't charge in swinging clubs when facing prey stronger than themselves.
That approach might kill the prey—but at a cost.
More likely, they'd get seriously hurt.
The smart hunter circles the prey's territory, using traps and tools to chip away at its strength and will.
When the prey finally starts to tire and show weakness…
That's when you go in for the kill.
That was Sarukawa Tech's plan.
But their plan fell apart before it even started.
Iori Kanazawa's first spike didn't create a rebound.
Instead, it gave Karasuno a chance ball!
"This... I..."
Iori stammered, but Itaru Shiramine snapped:
"Watch the block!!"
Iori snapped back to attention and looked across the net.
Now was no time to dwell on mistakes!
Karasuno's back row had already picked up the ball and were setting up an attack!
"Right wing!"
On the other side, Akira and Tsukishima started a cross-movement!
Karasuno's back row moved in sync.
It was dazzling to watch.
If you were just an average viewer, it...