"Baptism by Fire" (Japanese:
Overview[]
Himekawa helps his team take the lead with his ceiling serves. Karasuno initially struggles with the serve, but they soon adapt and halt Tsubakihara's momentum. Karasuno isn't ready to give up that easily.
Plot[]
Himekawa's ceiling serve brings the second set to a tie at 15-15. Karasuno uses their first timeout as Coach Ukai instructs his players on how to deal with the serves. Once the game resumes, Himekawa pulls off another successful ceiling serve. This time, the ball lands right between Daichi and Asahi. The two fail to decide who to receive it, causing Tsubakihara to take another point. On Himekawa's third serve, Asahi manages to keep the ball in play but sends it off way too low. Kageyama is unable to make one of his proper setups but leaves it to Daichi to spike it across. Daichi pulls off a feint to bypass the blockers, but Himekawa is there to receive the ball. Teradomari follows up with a powerful spike to push Tsubakihara's lead to 17-15.
Karasuno isn't ready to lose just yet.
Karasuno is forced to use their second timeout to stop Tsubakihara's momentum. Kageyama solemnly instructs his teammate to prioritize getting the ball high on the first touch. Meanwhile, Tsubakihara celebrates at finally outdoing Karasuno. The team's other pinch server, second-year Tsukioka, hands Himekawa a towel while encouraging him to take more points for the team. With new confidence, Himekawa returns to the game ready to take more points. However, he quickly becomes intimidated by Karasuno's pressuring aura. He hits another ceiling serve, but this time, it ends up going to Nishinoya. An excited Nishinoya cleanly receives the ball, and Asahi comes through with a powerful back row attack. Himekawa stands frozen as the ball lands just besides him before bouncing off. He looks up to see the determined faces of Karasuno and realizes that this is national caliber. Despite getting his serve streak ended, Himekawa is not ready to give up just yet.
Appearances[]
Chapter notes[]
Character revelations[]
Trivia[]
- This chapter makes a reference to a real-life volleyball player, Katsutoshi Nekoda, who was formerly known as the "World's Greatest Setter". He also first invented the ceiling serve that Himekawa uses.