Tehran, Iran, August 16, 2022 – Defending champions Japan, powered by Hiroki Bito, fought back to beat Korea in hard-fought five-set thriller 21-25, 25-18, 25-14, 15-25, 15-13 to stay atop Pool B on Day 2 of their preliminary-round campaign in the 14th Asian Men’s U18 Volleyball Championship at Federation Hall on Tuesday.
Japan bagged aggregate 4 points from two straight wins to overtake the rivals to the top spot in Pool B. However, the Japanese side still have one remaining match against Thailand on Wednesday.
Korea got the crucial match off to a flying start with a convincing 25-21 win in the opening set. However, Japan challenged the rivals seriously in the second set and clawed their way back, with Hiroki Bito and Yuzuki Akimoto joining forces in puncturing the Korean defence to help their team rapidly clinch the set 25-18.
Japan tried to keep the same pace in the third set. Their excellent teamwork and combinations that held off the rivals’ attempts helped the Japanese take the comfortable set 25-14 for a 2-1 advantage.
However, captain Yun Seojin and Lee Sumin gave Korea a successful comeback in the fourth set, courtesy of their powerful attacks, to help the Koreans wrap up the effortless set 25-15, forcing a decider. With their key player, Hiroki Bito, on fire, Japan showed their great efforts to outshine the Korean counterparts 15-13 and match.
Hiroki Bito weighed in with a huge 37 points for Japan, while Lee Woojin scored a team-high 20 points on the Korea’s losing effort.
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