Japan were able to overcome their nervousness in the first set to post a 3-1 win over Venezuela
Tokyo, Japan, May 28, 2016 – Japan’s coach Masashi Nabui pointed out that his players were nervous and as a result they had a shaky start in the first set, while Vincenzo Nacci felt that their loss of concentration in the second set allowed Japan to pull away in the match at the Men’s World Olympic Qualification Tournament on Saturday.
Japan coach Masashi Nambu: “Yesterday we were not nervous in practice, but the players were nervous tonight. We made mistakes on blocks in the first set and could not find our rhythm. It was the same at the start of the second set. Yanagida was in form from beginning to end. He changed the mood of the team. We will carry over the good points from tonight’s match to tomorrow.”
Japan captain Kunihiro Shimizu: “We felt pressure in the first set. I could not play as I usually do. I have to work on my shortcomings. In the second, third and fourth sets we got our Japan volleyball back. It was a big achievement to win three points tonight.”
Japan player Hideomi Fukatsu: “We were nervous in the first set. We have to be more bold and challenging. We clinched a win today and we will take up the challenge tomorrow.”
Japan player Masahiro Yanagida: “The team was nervous. The atmosphere got better after the first set and we were able to win.”
Japan player Yuki Ishikawa: “We won which is good. There are many challenges in all aspects of my game. I will correct them and work on them tomorrow. I was not nervous in the first set, but could not play like I usually do. From the second set on I started to score more with my spikes.”
Venezuela coach Vincenzo Nacci: “This was an important match. The first set was good. Japan is a very organised team. We made few mistakes in the first set and I thought we would win but we lost our concentration in the second when we were leading 19-14. The third and fourth sets were not good. You can't beat a strong team like Japan with that.”
Venezuela captain Kervin Pinerua: “I'm very sad that we lost this match. It was important because it was against Japan. From the second set on we made mistakes. We have to play harder from tomorrow and have to figure out how to motivate ourselves.”