"First Opponent" (Japanese:
Overview[]
Karasuno finally faces off against their first opponent, Tsubakihara Academy, at the Spring Tournament. Just like Coach Ukai expected, the process is much tougher than expected. They are able to avoid a crisis by finding Hinata's lost shoes. However, another dilemma arises when they discover Kageyama's sets being off-the-mark due to being unaccustomed to the size of the venue.
Plot[]
Back in early December, Coach Ukai got a chance to meet up with his senior, Kazuya Higashine, who is coaching at Nishikiyama High School in the Yamagata Prefecture. Ukai has purposely gone to meet Higashine to inquire about his experiences at nationals. After he comes back, Ukai informs Takeda that Nationals will be much tougher than they expected.
Back to the present, Karasuno is doing some last minute warm-ups ahead of their first match while Kiyoko goes to retrieve Hinata's lost shoes. As he watch the players, Takeda recalls Ukai's words about needing time to get adjusted to the large venue at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium. Just then, Hinata messes up on his toss practice after being distracted by the blinding lights inside the stadium. Sugawara is also having trouble warming up his hands after growing nervous while Kageyama remains completely unaffected. Since he doesn't have his shoes, Hinata chooses to be the ball boy while the rest of the team perform their formal warm-up. He soon becomes energized again after receiving his shoes.
Karasuno vs. Tsubakihara.
The match finally gets underway. Karasuno's first opponent is the second representative of the Kanagawa Prefecture, Tsubakihara Academy. It's the Tsubakihara players' second time at nationals, and they are nervous about not repeating the poor result from last year. Their coach, Ōsado, instructs them to use their serves to break Karasuno's formation and to watch out for Hinata. The rest of the team are apprehensive about playing a team that defeated Shiratorizawa until captain Echigo points out how lucky they are to not go against Ushijima. His words help improve team morale, but Echigo is fully aware that Karasuno is no pushover.
Kageyama kicks off the match with a powerful jump serve but hits it out-of-bounds, giving Tsubakihara the first point of the set. Afterwards, Iwamuro aims his serve at a spot where Tanaka and Kageyama cross paths. Tanaka reacts just in time to receive the but ends up sending the ball flying away from Kageyama. Daichi follows up by spiking the ball over. Tsubakihara keeps the ball in play and trusts the ball to their ace Teradomari to score. With a height of 190cm, Teradomari easily spikes above Hinata and Daichi's block. Nishinoya successfully saves the ball while Asahi makes a setup to Tanaka. However, he accidentally sends the ball too far. Seeing the opportunity, Maiko hits a direct spike to bring the score to 2-0. In the next play, Hinata and Kageyama attempt their minus-tempo quick only for it to end up in a misplay after Kageyama missed his aim. Just as Coach Ukai had feared, Kageyama is having trouble adjusting to the new court. However, Kageyama keeps his cool upon this new challenge.
Debut[]
- Nishikiyama High
- Kazuya Higashine (Flashback only)
Appearances[]
- Tsubakihara Academy
Chapter notes[]
Character revelations[]
Trivia[]
- This is Tsubakihara Academy's second time in two years to attend the Spring Tournament and their second time overall.
- This is Karasuno's first time in five years to attend the Spring Tournament and their ninth time overall.