By: Ernest Tuazon
Opposite hitter Kento Miyaura felt grateful for the support of Filipino fans who ‘pushed an injury-plagued Japanese side to their limits’ ahead of the VNL Final Round and the upcoming Paris Olympics.
Miyaura closed the VNL Manila leg with 18 points from 12 attacks, five aces, and one block, leading Japan to a 25-20, 25-23, 25-19 sweep of the USA yesterday, June 23.
“Philippine fans push us to our limit many times, and they love volleyball, so they make us feel comfortable even though we’re not on home court,” the 25-year-old Miyaura said.
Miyaura admitted that he and his fellow Japanese players had a difficult time adjusting due to the team’s injuries, but the opposite spiker always tried to find a solution to win.
Despite missing fan favorites Ran Takahashi and Yuji Nishida due to knee and abdomen injuries, respectively, Japan ended the Manila leg with a 9-3 win-loss record heading into the VNL Final Round on June 27 to 30 in Lodz, Poland.
“Today, it was tough to score, and sometimes there were difficult moments, but I tried to find a solution. I made many mistakes with my spikes, but I’m happy we won this game,” he said.
Japan swept fellow-fan favorite USA, and Miyaura noted that the team will take the win and the overall VNL Manila Leg as valuable experience heading into the VNL Final and the Paris Olympics.
After suffering a narrow five-set defeat against Canada, the Japanese racked up three straight wins to close their third straight VNL experience in Manila, defeating the Netherlands, France, and the USA.
“The last game was very difficult, but we won, so this is a valuable experience that we need to keep heading into the Final and the Olympics,” Miyaura concluded.
