Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, July 9, 2022 – Japan continue their bid to defend the title at the 21st Asian Women’s U20 Volleyball Championship, as they completed the Preliminary Round with a straight-sets match 3-0 (25-11, 25-18, 25-14) against India.
Saturday evening’s victory at the NU Sports Centre places Japan as the second-ranked team in Pool B, to progress into a semi-finals appearance on Sunday, July 10.
Ayane Kitamado (13 points) and Megumi Fukazawa (9 points) comprised the Japanese side’s effective wing attack.
Japan played well from the service line to establish how they could dominate in the match. They dictated the tempo, as their opponents tried to play catch-up.
India improved their performance in the second set, connecting effectively on block-defence.
They were able to play along their opponents. They showed they could sustain rallies against a high-endurance team, and even delivered in key transitions.
Captain Pal Prerona led India with 11 points from 9 attacks, 1 block, and 1 service ace.
However, as the Japanese are classically noted to outlast prolonged rallies, India could not sustain the energy nor the variety of plays to match the opponents.
Japan continued to serve fiercely, and play effectively in both offence and defence, to surge in the third set with their third victory in the competition.
Japan will play against Korea in the 15:00 (local time) semi-final match on Sunday, July 10. India will face Iran in the 10:00 (local time) match for the 5th – 8th place bracket.
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