Haikyuu: Zero To Almighty

Chapter 168: A Swift Start Against Date Tech (D-L)

Oikawa Tōru served the third ball.

It was a powerful jump serve. After getting used to the slower float serves in the first two points, Date Tech was caught off guard by the sudden shift in speed and power.

Bang!

Oikawa Tōru scored another service point.

[Aoba Johsai 3 – 0 Date Tech]

"Don't worry about it, stay focused!" Futakuchi Kenji did his best to encourage his teammates.

This kind of scenario was expected; adapting to serves like these always takes some time.

Date Tech's strategy remained solid—Kaedehara Taichi's outrageous cross-court spikes couldn't possibly succeed every time!

"Hey! You troublemaker, get your act together!"

From the stands, the retired third-years of Date Tech were present, cheering loudly.

Kamasaki Yasushi pumped his fists, yelling toward Futakuchi Kenji, "You're stronger than we ever were! Play with everything you've got!"

Moniwa Kaname grabbed Kamasaki's arm to pull him back. "Yasushi, keep it civil! The referee's looking over here!"

"Ugh, seriously? Why are all of you here? Don't third-years have entrance exams to prepare for?" Futakuchi Kenji muttered, clearly reluctant about the attention. "Annoying musclehead senpais..."

"Bring it on!" Futakuchi shouted toward Oikawa, trying to muster some fighting spirit.

"Hahaha...That's the spirit!" Kamasaki crossed his arms, nodding in satisfaction.@@@@

Oikawa Tōru served the fourth ball.

It was another powerful jump serve, the volleyball spinning and flying toward Date Tech's court with stunning speed.

"I've got it!" shouted first-year libero Sakunami Kōsuke as he moved to receive the ball.

Bang!

The immense force pushed Sakunami back, making him roll to absorb the impact. Although the ball was successfully received, it flew over to Aoba Johsai's side.

"Spike it!"

Kindaichi Yūtarō jumped in the front row, ready to finish the point with a direct spike.

Suddenly, a large hand appeared between his hand and the ball.

It was Koganegawa Kanji!

With a slightly higher reach and far superior jumping ability than Kindaichi, Koganegawa Kanji managed to tip the ball upward.

As both Kindaichi and Date descended, a figure leapt up behind him.

Bang!

A powerful spike from Aone Takanobu scored the point for Date Tech!

[Aoba Johsai 3 – 1 Date Tech]

"Yes!!" Moniwa Kaname cheered from the stands, his voice the loudest among them.

Kamasaki bellowed triumphantly, looking around at the other spectators. "See that? That's our school's juniors! Take a good look at how awesome they are!"

Standing beside him, Sasaya Takehito quietly stepped back a couple of paces.

Don't look at me. I don't know these guys...

Kaedehara Taichi glanced across the net.

In a normal situation, Kindaichi would have scored directly. Koganegawa Kanji's quick jump and exceptional vertical leap were truly something to watch.

It was Date Tech's turn to serve, and Koganegawa Kanji stepped up to the service line.

Bang!

It was a slightly forceful, but otherwise unremarkable overhand serve.

Watari Shinji received it perfectly.

Taichi had already leapt up on the left wing, and Oikawa's set reached him a moment later.

Bang!

Thud!

"First touch!" Aone Takanobu shouted as he managed to block the spike.

Taichi wasn't surprised—fast attacks like his weren't as effective when Aone was in the front row.

Obara Yutaka quickly retrieved the ball, and Koganegawa Kanji set it toward the far-right wing.

It's not a highball? Aoba Johsai's blockers were momentarily caught off guard but quickly adjusted to follow Date Tech's outside hitter.

On the right, Onagawa Tarō jumped. Facing him was Aoba Johsai's double block.

Standing under 180 cm tall and with only average jumping ability, Onagawa had worked tirelessly on his technique to make up for his physical limitations.

Aiming for the edge of Hanamaki Takahiro's arm, he spiked with all his strength.

Smack!

Bang!

The ball deflected off the block and flew diagonally out of bounds.

Date Tech scored another point.

[Aoba Johsai 3 – 2 Date Tech]

"Oh?" Hanamaki Takahiro looked at Onagawa Tarō, a hint of curiosity in his gaze.

"Go, go, let's go Date Tech!"

"Go, go, let's go Date Tech!"

Despite being up against the reigning champions, Date Tech's cheering squad was spirited and loud, motivating their players on the court.

Koganegawa Kanji served again.

Oikawa received the ball, delivering a perfect pass to the left wing.

Taichi leapt for the spike.

Taichi mused silently: I underestimated Aone's blocking ability. His reactions are just too sharp, and my sets alone can't evade him.

"Nice serve!"

"Great Block!"

Date Tech's third-years in the stands cheered enthusiastically for their juniors.

Futakuchi Kenji waved back with a grin.

While Date Tech didn't have a server like Oikawa Tōru who could score outright, achieving the second-best result was enough for them.

The two ideal goals for serving:

Directly scoring – powerful serves that impact the opponent's confidence and create uncertainty in their performance.

Disrupting the opponent's first pass or attack rhythm – forcing unstable receptions or difficult offensive setups to lower their efficiency.

Futakuchi's aim was simple: make Aoba Johsai's attack uncomfortable and capitalize on Date Tech's defensive prowess to turn the game around.

Coach Irihata frowned from the sidelines. Date Tech was undeniably a team to watch out for.

The towering setter, Koganegawa, already showed promising growth, and if they developed more powerful serves...

Next year, Date Tech could become a formidable force.

Futakuchi served again.

"I got it!" Watari Shinji moved laterally to assist Oikawa, receiving the ball successfully.

Oikawa, realizing he was being targeted, quickly adjusted his position and delivered the set.

Kaedehara Taichi leapt at the net.

"Double block!" Aone and Obara awaited him.

Smack!

The ball slammed into Obara's arm, and he winced from the impact.

"So heavy!" Obara shouted. His arm nearly recoiled from Taichi's spike.

"First touch!" Obara yelled, recovering to keep the ball in play.

Futakuchi saved the ball, and Koganegawa lightly set it high.

Aone jumped and spiked.

"Double block!" Taichi and Kindaichi rose to meet him.

A wall just as tall and impenetrable as Date Tech's own.

Thwack!

Aone's spike ricocheted off Kindaichi's arm and fell back into Date Tech's court.

[Aoba Johsai 17 – 11 Date Tech]

If we lose points, we'll reclaim them ourselves. Even in blocking, Aoba Johsai isn't backing down.

"How's our blocking, Aone-senpai?" Taichi grinned smugly.

Aone nodded silently, a glimmer of respect in his eyes as he looked at Taichi and Kindaichi.

He hesitated, preparing to say something.

But Iwaizumi Hajime suddenly stepped between them. "Kindaichi, serve. Taichi, focus on the game."

"Yes!" Kindaichi obeyed and walked to the service line.

Aone: "..."

Forget it, I'll keep my thoughts to myself.

-----

As the match progressed, Aone and Futakuchi rotated to the back row.

During this period, Aone's serve became significantly more aggressive, though a missed serve handed Aoba Johsai a free point.

Date Tech's second defensive lineup, with Obara Yutaka at the forefront and supported by Koganegawa and Fukiage Jingo, took over.

While their height was comparable to the first lineup, they fell short in areas like anticipation, footwork, and coordination.

Aoba Johsai took advantage of this and widened their lead.

[Aoba Johsai 24 – 16 Date Tech]

Kaedehara Taichi stepped up to serve.

Unlike Aoba Johsai's previous opponents, Date Tech had witnessed Taichi's growth during training camp. From the beginning, they treated his serves with the same respect as Oikawa's.

Even so, Taichi had already scored five points off serves in this set alone.

Date Tech knew they weren't on Aoba Johsai's level yet, but acknowledging this gap was the first step toward growth.

This match, though inevitably a loss, wasn't meaningless. They wanted to discover ways to counter Aoba Johsai.

On this point, Karasuno and Shiratorizawa, seated in the stands, shared the same thought.

Taichi tossed the ball high, but the sound of the hit was soft. The Date Tech players immediately recognized it as a float serve and moved forward to adjust their positions.

Suddenly, the ball dipped sharply just in front of the net.

"Won't make it over?"

But the ball floated just over the tape, grazing the net and continuing its descent.

"Damn it!"

Obara dove forward but couldn't reach it.

[Aoba Johsai 25 – 16 Date Tech]

Without much fanfare, Aoba Johsai comfortably took the first set.

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