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Japan drew energy from the Filipino crowd as it overcame a feisty Serbia side, 20-25, 26-24, 18-25, 32-30, 15-7, to open the FIVB Women’s Volleyball Nations League with a rousing victory on Wednesday at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.
Serbia reached match point five times in the fourth set, but the Japanese side held its nerve each time, fending off every opportunity to force a deciding frame.
In the fifth set, Japan took full control, cruising to a 15-7 finish as the majority of the crowd rallied behind the Hinotori Nippon while still showing appreciation for the Europeans.
For head coach Ferhat Akbas, the electric atmosphere proved to be a major boost in the comeback win.
“The whole crowd, I saw, and I heard cheering ‘Nippon! Nippon!’ So they supported us really well. We feel like we’re in Japan, so thank you to all Filipino fans,” said the Turkish coach.
Mayu Ishikawa and Yukiko Wada spearheaded Japan’s comeback with 24 and 20 points, respectively. Yoshino Sato added 12, while Haruyo Shimamura chipped in 11 points in the win that kept Japan unbeaten at 5-0, alongside Brazil.
“Today, it was a good comeback. Serbia played really great. Great match. And we were struggling during the match, but after a while, we got the rhythm, so it was a great comeback,” Akbas added.
“So we had some tactical adjustments, we had some rotation changes, and it worked. I can say that Serbia, after the fourth set, was looking more tired, and we tried to take advantage of that. We played faster, and it worked well,” he explained.
Japan will next face Czechia, followed by the Dominican Republic and Italy to close Week 2. All matches will be played at 8 p.m.
