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Yuki Ishikawa in action
Allianz Milano announced the renewal of Yuki Ishikawa’s contract for the 2023-2024 season. The 27-year-old Japanese star is presently in his third season with the club from Milan.
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“I’m very happy to stay at Milano again next year,” Ishikawa said. “I get along with the club very well and the city is beautiful, so I’m very happy. We’ve been playing a good championship so far. I remember my first time at Milano and since then I’ve improved a lot, I’ve grown year after year and I want to continue working to raise the bar even higher next season.”
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Milano are currently seventh in the SuperLega Credem Banca standings, with a record of 26 points and a 9-9 win-loss record. Yuki Ishikawa is the team’s best receiver with a total of 82 excellent receptions, or an average of 1.34 per set since the start of the regular SuperLega season. The 1.91m-tall outside hitter is also Milano’s second best scorer with a total of 209 points, including 18 aces and 13 blocks, and second best defender with a total of 74 digs.
“I’m very happy with Yuki’s renewal, first of all, because he’s showing excellent things this season and he’s been improving since he arrived in Italy. I think this is his prerogative – as a player he wants to improve. That’s why he wants stay in Italy,” commented Allianz Milano’s head coach Roberto Piazza. “In my opinion, he is a crucial player for the future of Milano. He has received several offers this year, but he has decided to stay with us, an indication of the fact that he wants to leave his mark with a team like that of Milano.”
When Yuki Ishikawa first arrived in Italy in 2014, he was the first Japanese athlete to compete in the SuperLega. As a member of Modena Volley, he lifted the 2015 Coppa Italia and earned a SuperLega silver. During that season, he also returned to Japan to play for his academic team and excelled at the All-Japan Intercollegiate Championship by leading Chuo University to the title and earning the Most Valuable Player award. Ishikawa and his college teammates also won the next two editions of the competition. He returned to Italy for the 2016-2017 season as a Top Volley Latina player. His club career also took him through Emma Villas Siena and Kioene Padova, before he joined Allianz Milano in 2020. He helped the club from Milan triumph in the 2021 CEV Challenge Cup and achieve their best domestic success in history by reaching the Coppa Italia semifinals in both 2022 and 2023.
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Yuki Ishikawa has been a member of the Japanese national team since he was 18 and currently serves as the team captain. He earned his first medal in 2014, an Asian Games silver, and, later on, took a 2017 gold, a 2021 silver and a 2019 bronze in the Asian Championships, as well as a 2016 bronze in the Asian Cup. He and his Japanese teammates did well at several major world-level competitions, finishing fourth at the 2019 FIVB Volleyball World Cup, fifth at the Volleyball Nations League 2022 and seventh at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
This weekend’s SuperLega schedule:
Feb 11, 18:00 local (17:00 UTC): Top Volley Cisterna v Vero Volley Monza
Feb 12, 15:30 local (14:30 UTC): Pallavolo Padova v WithU Verona
Feb 12, 15:30 local (14:30 UTC): Gas Sales Bluenergy Piacenza v Allianz Milano
Feb 12, 18:00 local (17:00 UTC): Valsa Group Modena v Gioiella Prisma Taranto
Feb 12, 18:00 local (17:00 UTC): Emma Villas Aubay Siena v Cucine Lube Civitanova
Feb 12, 18:30 local (17:30 UTC): Itas Trentino Trento v Sir Safety Susa Perugia
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