When the announcement came that the 2022 FIVB Volleyball Nations League was coming to the Philippines, excitement filled the air for Filipino fans.
One particular team that was highly anticipated was the Japanese men’s national team, and among its stars is outside hitter Ran Takahashi.
The 20-year-old standout out of Nippon Sport Science rose to popularity when he made the national team in 2020 after winning Best Scorer during the 2020 All-Japan Intercollegiate Volleyball Championship.
He was also a vital cog in Japan’s solid run in the 2020 Olympic Games on home soil in Tokyo, scoring 49 points in their five matches, including 19 markers in that five-set thriller against Asian rivals Iran.
On Tuesday, however, when Japan debuted in the SMART Araneta Coliseum, Takahashi did not come as one of the starters, and instead, he was among the players who could come off the bench.
And when the Nippon Sports Science University student-athlete entered the first and third sets in lieu of Yuji Nishida and Kenta Takanashi, the crowd inside the Big Dome really made sure he heard such support.
“The energy from the fans encouraged me, as well as the team,” Takahashi said through an interpreter.
“And it was a good moment to show our quality of volleyball. It was good.”
Despite that failed comeback in the third set as Argentina’s lead was too big to overcome, the Ryujin Nippon found its second wind from these adoring fans.
When Japan needed to wrap up the match in the fourth, head coach Philippe Blain started Takahashi in the said set and he delivered not just on defense; he logged a 44.44-percent efficiency on reception and ended with three digs. He also chipped in four points on a 30-percent attacking clip, which included one from his signature back-row kill.
For Takahashi, it is a matter of stepping up to the role he was given on any particular game day. He shared, “I was focusing on my passing quality because that was one of my best weapons.
“Not just my quality, but I’m also considering how to improve the team’s passing – our quality as a team throughout the four sets.”
With Blain having several options on who to field in a given match, and with Takahashi ready to step into any given assignment, the fans can expect nothing less than a fight from the Japanese side.
Takahashi and the rest of the team will resume action in the league with three matches in as many days starting with Italy on June 24. They will then take on Olympic champions France and Slovenia on June 25 and 26, respectively.
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