Akashi's serve was a fault, bringing the score to 5:6.
The gap was not widened.
This rotation served as a mutual display of their respective serving techniques.
Once Akashi lost the serve, the match between Senkoku and Kitagawa Daiichi settled back into a war of attrition...
6:6.
6:7.
7:7.
7:8.
...
The offensive capabilities of both teams far exceeded the opposing defense. Therefore, if they couldn't achieve a breakthrough with the serve, the serving team would essentially just be handing the opponent an attack opportunity on every rotation.
However, when Kageyama Tobio and Akashi each stepped up to Position 1 for the second time, they seemed to have made a pact, both failing spectacularly.
Kageyama Tobio netted his jump serve.
Akashi's was even more outrageous. Due to excessive hitting power, the volleyball drifted high into the air. A Jump Serve hit the ball directly from the first floor up to the second.
It landed precisely next to that couple who were... ahem, still embracing.
CLANG!
The sound startled the pair greatly.
This tug-of-war continued until the score reached a 22:22 deadlock.
In truth, at this stage, the gap between Senkoku and a traditional powerhouse like Kitagawa Daiichi was beginning to show—and that was in fundamental conditioning.
Although all Senkoku players had trained relentlessly out of a desire for revenge against Kitagawa Daiichi following the Prefectural tournament, they had only managed to catch up to their pace.
But it was only the pace; the distance between them still remained.
Kitagawa Daiichi's players had maintained strict training since their first year of middle school. A gap of over two years could not be closed simply by training intensely for a short period.
Especially in terms of various basic skills and physical conditioning, which wasn't obvious at the start of the match, but as the set entered its later stages, the Senkoku players, with the exception of Akashi, were visibly breathing harder and more frequently than the Kitagawa Daiichi players.
Physical fatigue naturally impacts the execution of various techniques. Consequently, in the latter half of the set, Senkoku's error count started to increase rapidly.
If Akashi hadn't relied on his individual ability to score forcefully several times, the score difference would likely have already widened to three or four points.
Even so, if the match continued to drag on like this, Senkoku would inevitably be the team to suffer the disadvantage.
Kitagawa Daiichi only needed to maintain their rhythm, giving them at least a 70\% probability of winning the first set. Therefore, in contrast to Shimokawa Sando's anxiety, the Kitagawa Daiichi coach remained completely unperturbed.
The Breakdown
However, an accident occurred at this moment.
At 22:22, Senkoku served. Kitagawa Daiichi received the ball and gained another offensive opportunity. Based on the previous rhythm, this ball should have resulted in a Kitagawa Daiichi point.
But the error occurred when Kageyama Tobio set the ball.
Kageyama Tobio, standing in the front court, received the pass and seemed to intend to execute an "A-quick" with Kindaichi on the right. However, after the volleyball left his hands, Kindaichi failed to reach it.
THUD.
The volleyball landed on the floor, emitting a dull, weak sound.
23:22.
The atmosphere in the stadium suddenly went quiet.
Kindaichi stood with his hands on his hips, panting heavily, sweat constantly dripping down his cheeks.
He was tired.
As a Wing Spiker, continuous spiking and jumping are a huge drain on stamina. Kindaichi was not Akashi; even after spiking continuously for an entire set, he couldn't maintain a substantially energetic state.
The current Kindaichi could still jump, but he could no longer reach his highest hitting point.
This was a detail that the setter should have taken into account.
But unfortunately, no one had taught Kageyama Tobio.
So, when this error occurred, Kageyama Tobio felt confusion, and then... anger.
"Why didn't you jump?"
Kageyama Tobio rushed over, grabbing Kindaichi by the collar. He furiously demanded, "You should have easily hit that set! Why didn't you try harder to jump? If you want to win, then put effort into matching my sets!"
"That's enough, Kageyama. Kindaichi is tired."
The Kitagawa Daiichi captain walked over, removed Kageyama Tobio's hand, and spoke.
"Huh? Tired? Who isn't tired right now? But even if we're tired, we must keep scoring! Only scoring brings victory! If we can't defeat the opponent in front of us, we can't go to Nationals..."
...
...
"Huh~ Are they fighting again? I mean, is this really okay for them?" Omae Masato scratched his head, looking at the argument across the net.
"It should be... fine, right? After all, the match is still going, and nothing happened the last time they fought, did it?" Kazama Juujirou replied.
It was somewhat absurd that Senkoku, having only played Kitagawa Daiichi twice, was already growing accustomed to their internal arguments.
The frequency of their arguments was simply too high.
It was just that the previous conflicts didn't seem as intense as today's.
"Maybe that's just their unique way of bonding? Besides, if they genuinely start fighting, it's not a bad thing for us."
"Hmm? You have a point!" Omae Masato's eyes lit up in agreement.
"But speaking of which, do all 'geniuses' have strange habits? The opposing Kageyama Tobio's sets are precise, but his teammates can't always hit them. Our Ace's serve is powerful, but it also..."
Akashi: "Hmm? Do you have a problem with my serve?"
Omae Masato: "...Absolutely not."
"Alright, let's ignore the other side for now. This mistake of theirs is a great chance for us to turn the score around. Let's finish this set first."
Seeing the argument at Kitagawa Daiichi about to escalate, the referee finally blew the warning whistle.
At this signal, the Kitagawa Daiichi players temporarily quieted down.
The match continued.
This one setting error by Kageyama Tobio instantly shifted Senkoku from the disadvantaged side to the advantaged side. This change was not only reflected in the score difference but also in the boost to morale.
The visible manifestation was the heightened fighting spirit of the Senkoku players.
Omae Masato served the ball.
Kitagawa Daiichi's backcourt Libero received the ball and passed it steadily to Kageyama Tobio's hands. Kageyama Tobio glanced at the Senkoku formation and decisively set the ball to the other Middle Blocker in the front court.
BAM!
The Middle Blocker swung his arm and spiked. The volleyball pierced the front court before the Senkoku block could arrive.
But just as the volleyball was about to hit the floor, a figure suddenly leaped out. THWACK! He reached out and knocked the volleyball back into the air...