Japan’s volleyball women’s national team unexpectedly eliminated from the first round league…to carry on the spirit of Sarina Koga’s “ace in tears

The ace who led Japan’s women’s volleyball team left the court with tears in her eyes.

The Japanese women’s volleyball team, ranked seventh in the world, was aiming for a medal, but disappeared in the first round league.

After the third league match against Kenya, Sarina Koga (28), surrounded by her teammates, plopped down on the court and sobbed after a photo shoot. She had been acting stout-heartedly, but she could not hold back her emotions.

I didn’t think about being captain today, I just fought as Sarina Koga, who loves volleyball,” she said in a televised interview.

In a live broadcast interview, she squeezed out these words and shed tears once again.

After all the league matches, Japan was unable to surpass the United States, who had the same number of wins and points, in terms of set percentage, and was eliminated from the first round league. Japan’s dream of winning a medal for the first time in 12 years since the London Olympics was crushed.

What was missing from the Japanese team? Kota Yamamura, a former member of the Japanese men’s volleyball team, offers his analysis.

Compared to other countries, I think Japan lacked the power and frequency of the back attack, which is an attack from behind the line of attack. In recent years, the strong players overseas have become taller and taller, making the back attack more effective. Until now, we have played with speed by strengthening our “Mach and Jet,” attacking within one second of the toss, but Japan, with its inferior size, will need to increase its back attack even more and improve its decisive power.”

On the other hand, he praised Koga, who had long been a mainstay of the Japanese women’s national team.

Koga’s speedy spikes that could be used overseas and her ability to intentionally hit the ball into the opponent’s block and make the ball go out were outstanding. I was also impressed by the way she always shouted and inspired her teammates during the match. It is clear that she was a pillar of support both technically and mentally. It is not easy to be the captain of a team with players older than yourself. Even so, the way she led the entire team while producing results is what made the team what it is today.

Is there a player on the current team who can succeed the spirit of Koga, who was a major presence in the team? Yamamura mentioned Shinsuke Ishikawa (24) and Yukiko Wada (22).

Ishikawa played in Italy’s Serie A, the world’s top volleyball team, and I think she has acquired the spiking ability to deal with high blocks at the top level. She is small in stature at 174 cm tall, but she has the skills to compensate for this. He has the potential to compete on the world stage.
Although Wada is the youngest player on the team, he is entrusted with the ace attacker position of Opposite, and his offensive ability is very high. He will be a valuable asset if he can hone his defense and tossing consistency, which are Japan’s strong points. There are still many rough edges, but without Wada’s growth, I don’t think we will win a medal at the Olympics.

The two should be able to make up for the loss of their ace in Paris in Los Angeles.

From the August 23/30, 2024 issue of “FRIDAY