"Battle of Endurance" (Japanese: スタミナ
Overview[]
Karasuno attempts to maintain their hard-earned lead, but Shiratorizawa fights back. As the fourth set drags on, Karasuno encounters more trouble when their control tower, Kageyama, shows signs of exhaustion.
Plot[]
Tsukishima's time-delayed spike earns Karasuno the coveted two-point lead late in the fourth set. Trailing 21-23, Shiratorizawa calls for a timeout. The Karasuno alumni celebrate while Akiteru remarks on how his brother saved the trick to use at the perfect time. Shimada joins in and brags about Yamaguchi laying the groundwork for the point with his serve. Meanwhile, Washijō is animatedly instructing his players not to drop their elbows and play more dynamically. He acknowledges Karasuno's evolving defense but reminds the team that no defence is perfect.
Once the game resumes, Yamaguchi purposely uses a net serve. Yamagata bumps the ball, Shirabu sets, and Ushijima finishes with a powerful spike to end Yamaguchi's serve streak. Ushijima shows no signs of weariness despite his high spike count, but Shimada and Akiteru know that he will eventually deplete his stamina if Karasuno keeps putting on the pressure. Ikkei Ukai adds that Shiratorizawa is gambling on winning the fourth set since they chose not to preserve Ushijima's energy for the last set.
It's Goshiki's turn to serve. Tanaka receives the ball but sends the pass too low. Kageyama hurriedly sets for Asahi. Kawanishi rushes in and blocks the spike. The ball bounces back to Karasuno, and Nishinoya makes the first touch. Kageyama sets for Tsukishima but fails to sync up properly with the blocker. Despite the initial miss, Tsukishima manages to reach with his right arm and barely bumps the ball over the net. Karasuno catches a lucky break as the ball lands on Shiratorizawa's side.
While Saeko breathes a sigh of relief, Takinoue and Shimada remain solemn after realizing that Karasuno has no experience playing a five-set game. Tendō notes that Kageyama might be the one to run out of steam first due to his role as a setter and how active he needs to be on the court. Kageyama apologizes for the last error, but Tsukishima dismisses it saying it's creepy hearing the setter apologize.
Karasuno is unnerved by Kageyama's condition. Before serving, Daichi encourages the team and says they will win the set with the next point. However, Ushijima quickly crushes that possibility with a powerful spike. Afterward, Shiratorizawa subs in their second pinch server, Yunohama, for Kawanishi. Yunohama uses a jump floater to disrupt Karasuno's formation. Asahi successfully tools the block despite a sloppy toss. The ball ricochets from the block, but Yamagata saves it just in time. Karasuno is on high alert as they ready a triple block to stop Ushijima. Unexpectedly, Ushijima uses a feint to aim at the space left open in the front by Karasuno moving their defense back.
Shiratorizawa fully catches up and ties Karasuno at 24-24. Tendō starts taunting Kageyama about his exhaustion, attempting to crush the setter's spirit. However, Kageyama remains unfazed as his sole focus is on playing volleyball.
Debut[]
Appearances[]
- Karasuno High
- Asahi Azumane
- Chikara Ennoshita
- Shōyō Hinata
- Tobio Kageyama
- Hisashi Kinoshita
- Kazuhito Narita
- Yū Nishinoya
- Daichi Sawamura
- Makoto Shimada
- Kiyoko Shimizu
- Ittetsu Takeda
- Yūsuke Takinoue
- Ryūnosuke Tanaka
- Saeko Tanaka
- Akiteru Tsukishima
- Kei Tsukishima
- Ikkei Ukai
- Keishin Ukai
- Hitoka Yachi
- Tadashi Yamaguchi
- Shiratorizawa Academy