Japan played their final first round match in front of a record crowd
Poland
vs
Japan
3
-
0
Saitama, Japan, November 22, 2006: Poland completed Pool A with a perfect 5-0 win-loss record by beating Japan 3-0 at Saitama Super Arena on Wednesday night.
In front of a record volleyball crowd in Japan of 19,836, the Poles held off the challenge of the host team 25-18, 25-21, 25-23 for their fifth consecutive straight-sets victory.
The result left Japan with a 3-2 record but already qualified for the second round in Sendai.
Poland came out firing on all cylinders, and Japan had the Poles' erratic serving to thank for being only two points in arrears at the first TTO.
Mariusz Wlazly had the crowd gasping with a punishing winner on the very first point of the match, and Michal Winiarski and Sebastian Swiderski both showed their attacking skills in a brisk start by the Europeans. When Swiderski sent a serve whistling through the Japan defence, it looked like Poland were in a hurry to complete a fifth straight sweep in Pool A.
Japan's "twin towers", Kota Yamamura and Nobuharu Saito, tested Poland at the net, where the Europeans are also solid with Daniel Plinski and Lukasz Kadziewicz.
When Wlazly spiked again on the right, after a quick change of direction from setter Pawel Zagumny, Poland led 14-10 and forced Japan into the first TO of the match. On the resumption of play, Wlazly blocked crowd favourite Yu Koshikawa, and Japan responded shortly after by removing southpaw Takahiro Yamamoto and replacing him with captain Masaji Ogino.
Japan needed a second TO at 18-11 as Poland ran away with the first set, but Yusuke "Gottsu" Ishijima lifted home spirits with a crashing spike on the run to close the gap to 18-13. Saito blocked Kadziewicz to keep Poland thinking.
Poland, with a big lead, closed out the opening frame 25-18, but not before Ishijima had pulled off a thundering block on Wlazly when they went head to head.
In the second set, Kadziewicz began to dominate the net and Plinski blocked Koshikawa, resulting in him being replaced by Shinya Chiba.
The rallies were few and far between as the teams maintained a relentless pace, 8-7 Poland at the first TTO.
Ogino may be 36 but he still has plenty to offer at this level, and his back-court attacks and ground defence inspired his teammates and kept Poland within range.
No matter how many times Japan drew close, Poland had enough big guns to keep the points flowing from all areas of the court. Swiderski pounded some clean winners from the left, and Wlazly was full of ideas as he probed for openings in the Japanese block.
Saito and Yamamura continued their impressive work at the net for Japan, but there was nothing they could do to stop Swiderski punching one over after a fiery serve from Wlazly had softened up the Japanese defence. Down 20-15, Japan needed a TO. Japan gave the Poles a taste of their own medicine shortly after when Swiderski could not control Ishijima's blockbuster serve and Yamamura pounced at the net to close the gap to 22-20 and force a Poland TO.
Swiderski brought up set point at 24-21 with a glorious back-court winner down the middle and Poland closed it out on their first set point for 2-0.
Japan must have been hoping that the 10-minute break after the second set had affected Poland's rhythm, and when a Yamamura serve struck the net cord and bounced in front of libero Piotr Gacek to move Japan ahead 7-5 in the third, they might have been in luck.
Although Swiderski continued to find spaces with his razor-sharp spikes, there was no doubt Japan had found some rhythm. An Ishijima serve almost flattened Gacek, encouraging Poland to take a TO trailing 14-12, and southpaw Ryuji Naohiro swept Japan to the second TTO 16-14.
A right-wing salvo from Wlazly pulled Poland level 18-18. Leading 19-18, Japan sent on Koshikawa to serve, and he was greeted with screams from the largely female crowd -- only to send his delivery screaming into the net for 19-19.
Plinski brought up match point at 24-22 with a nonchalant swat at the net, and Swiderski sealed it 25-23 with a jackhammer spike on the left wing.
