Karasuno vs Wakutani Minami was a match between the two schools that was held during the Spring Qualifier quarterfinals. The match ended in Karasuno's victory after a close third set.
Match[]
Set 1[]
The match begins with Hanayama's serve. Daichi receives it. Kageyama and Hinata then perform their quick, scoring the first point. The Nakashima family is shocked by this, but Takeru tells his team not to worry, and that they'll get the next point. This confuses Shimada, who is surprised that Wakunan isn't at all fazed by the super quick. On the court, Daichi tells Hinata that going against a top tier school, they probably have their eyes on Hinata. He also says out loud that Wakunan is completely underestimating the rest of the team, which fires up both Hinata and Tanaka, who both vow to take down Nakashima. Takeda comments that Daichi is a good captain for being able to say the right things to get his teammates fired up.
Kageyama hits a powerful serve with a good course, but to his surprise, Nakashima is able to pick it up cleanly. Hinata tries to guess which spiker will get the ball, but Kawatabi ends up getting the ball from the right side and scores. Takeda realizes that Wakunan specializes in combo plays, but Ukai reminds him that combos are their only weapon. Kageyama yells at Hinata to not pay attention to the spikers and to go after the ball instead. He says he knows that in his head, but Tanaka reminds him that the brain and body do not always agree. Shiroishi serves and Asahi picks it up. Kageyama and Hinata perform their quick again, but Shiroishi picks it up. Hanayama sends the ball to Nakashima, who is against a three-man block. To Karasuno's surprise, Nakashima glances the ball off Hinata's hands, sending it to the spectators' area and scoring. Ukai then says that Takeru Nakashima has a spiking style most similar to the Tiny Giant.
Hinata and Nakashima exchange several points. Nakashima scores and Wakunan leads 15-14. Takeda comments that Nakashima has a pretty good eye on the court. Ukai then explains to Takeda that unlike Hinata, who looks for openings when spiking, Nakashima changes the angle with each spike and causes the ball to ricochet off the blocker's hands. Ennoshita notices Tsukishima's expression and he explains how as a blocker, hating block-out spikers is natural. Shiroishi serves and Nishinoya receives the ball. Hinata performs his quick and hits across the court. He scores as Akiu fails to receive. Some spectators comment that Hinata doesn't plan on losing to Nakashima. Akiu apologizes for failing to pick up the ball, but Nakashima tells him to not worry and that he'll get the next one no problem. This angers Hinata, but Daichi tells him to calm down and that getting worked up is exactly what the opponent is trying to make him do. Nakashima hears this and becomes annoyed by Daichi's comment. Shimada points out that Wakunan is making Matsushima mark Hinata, and that instead of trying to stop him, he's rather trying to limit his attack space, making it easier to receive.
During the next play, Matsushima spikes, but Tanaka picks up the ball. Hinata runs up to spike, and Daichi once again notices that Matsushima is marking Hinata, and Nakashima and Kawatabi are focused on other spikers. Asahi gets the ball and spikes right through Kawatabi and Nakashima's block, to which Daichi comments that you can't stop Asahi unless you have an Iron Wall. Karasuno now leads 16-15. The score reaches 17-17, and Asahi spikes again and scores. Kawatabi gets the ball sent to him from the back, but he is stopped by Kageyama and Tsukishima, gaining Karasuno a 2-point lead. Kawatabi gets angry, but Nakashima tells him that there's a cute girl in the stands. He sees her and tells Hanayama to give him the ball. Hanayama then praises Nakashima for knowing how to motivate Kawatabi. Both teams exchange spikes, but the ball continues to stay in play. Nakashima performs another block-out, but Daichi is able to pick it up, and Nishinoya keeps the ball in the air. Daichi then runs toward the ball again, but doesn't realize Tanaka going after it too. A smack is heard and the ball goes over the net, scoring. Everyone cheers until they notice Daichi lying unconscious on the floor.
Karasuno's members yell out Daichi's name. Iwaizumi asks what happened, and Oikawa explains that Daichi and Tanaka hit each other during the last play. Daichi wakes up and Ukai asks what he hurt, and Daichi replies that his face hurts. Takeda asks Daichi if he knows where they are and who they're playing against, and Daichi replies Sendai City Gym and Wakunan. He then says that he's fine and can still play, but Takeda tells him he needs to go to the infirmary to make sure he doesn't have a major concussion. He stands up and Kiyoko notices that he's bleeding. Ukai asks if he's feeling nauseous, and Daichi replies that he feels fine, only for a tooth to fall out of his mouth, scaring Hinata and Yamaguchi. Oikawa states that depending on the severity of Daichi's injury, he might not to able to play for the rest of the game. Tanaka approaches Daichi and apologizes, only for Daichi to apologize instead, stating he saw Tanaka going after the ball, but went after it himself anyway. He then tells Tanaka that they still scored and are now at 20 points first. Oikawa states that he's unsure how Tanaka will hold up for the game as he was the reason Daichi got injured. Daichi asks Asahi to hold the team together until he returns. Oikawa then wonders who they'll put in as the sub. Iwaizumi guesses a 6-2 formation, but Oikawa states that Karasuno having a setter that's good at attacking is highly unlikely. It ends up being Ennoshita who is subbed in. He's nervous about it, as a real game is much different than practice.
The game resumes. Ennoshita serves and Kawatabi receives it. Naruko and Hanayama perform a quick and score. Nakashima is now up to serve. He aims at Ennoshita and scores an ace off of him. Wakunan is now one point behind at 20-19. Ennoshita reminds himself that he can't make excuses or chicken out, as he will just feel bad afterwards. He then screams: "Let's Go," and Nakashima comments that he's doing well for a substitute captain. He hits another serve and Ennoshita receives it. Asahi gets the ball and scores. Asahi then serves and scores an ace off of Kawatabi, giving Karasuno another 3-point lead. He serves once more, and this time, Kawatabi receives it cleanly. He then yells that he will score the next point, but to his surprise, Hanayama performs a setter dump and scores. Yamaguchi tells them to shake it off, but then, Kinoshita tells him that Kiyoko is signaling for him. Tanaka scores and Tsukishima is up to serve. To everyone's surprise, Yamaguchi is sent in as the pinch server. Tsukishima notices he's nervous and reminds him that this time, they are in the lead, and that he needs to calm down a bit. He then calms down, but is still a bit nervous. He gets scared when the whistle blows, and immediately serves. His serve however clips the net, frightening him, as the same thing happened during the Seijoh game. The ball barely goes over and scores. Karasuno is now at set point 24-20. Yamaguchi serves again, but this time, he does a normal serve because he wants to keep the ball in the court. Nakashima receives the ball. Shiroishi spikes off Hinata's hands and the ball is falling down, but Yamaguchi is unable to move. At the last second, Ennoshita picks it up. Kageyama then passes to Asahi who spikes and scores. The set ends 25-20 in Karasuno's favor.
Set 2[]
Karasuno falls behind due to Daichi being out. Oikawa had explained in another room that the play style Karasuno is used to is different with Daichi out of the game. Wakunan leads 4 points, 18-14. Ennoshita spikes but lands the ball out. Wakunan reaches set point 24-20. Wakunan serves and Tanaka receives it. Hinata and Kageyama perform their quick, but Naruko gets a hand on it. Hanayama sets to Nakashima who scores with a block-out. Wakunan wins the set 25-20.
Set 3[]
Nakashima scores a line shot for the first point. The score is 2-1 in Wakunan's favor and Kawatabi is up to serve. He serves but clips the net. Kageyama barely receives the ball, and Tanaka sends it to Hinata, who is up against a three-man block. He plans to perform a block-out off Naruko's hands, but accidentally hits the ball upwards too much, and sends it out of bounds. Ukai follows up on an earlier comment by Kageyama that Nakashima has better technique than Hinata. Kawatabi serves again and Nishinoya receives it. Asahi spikes from the back, but Akiu picks it up, angering him. Nakashima then spikes a block-out from the right. However, Hinata runs towards the bench. Ukai picks up the bench, accidentally knocking Takeda over, as Hinata performs a flying receive and keeps the ball in play. Ukai then yells at the team to counterattack. Hinata then jumps and spikes untouched. Hinata cheers, but accidentally runs into Kageyama in the process, scaring Asahi. Kageyama then says that Hinata running into him feels like nothing, angering him. They fight a little bit, but Ennoshita stops them by complimenting their previous play. Kageyama then says that their secret weapon is being able to spike through opponents even when they're backed into a corner. He then reminds Ennoshita then he was the one who originally said the phrase. Kageyama serves and scores an ace, tying the game once more.
The score is 6-6. Shiroishi goes to spike, but performs a feint, which Ennoshita receives. Nishinoya sends the ball to Asahi, who spikes, but lands the ball out. Nishinoya then freaks out, saying he set the ball too low. Ennoshita then tells himself that he should've picked it up better, as Daichi would've. He then apologizes, but Tanaka questions why. He tells Ennoshita to not think about trying to match Daichi, and to just do his own thing for the team, and that he can wait till next year to get better. Tsukishima spikes, but Hanayama receives it. Nakashima gets the ball and performs a block-out, and scores, earning Wakunan a 2-point lead. Ennoshita comes up with a plan to counter the block-outs from Nakashima. He asks Tanaka and Asahi to watch out for line shots. Meanwhile, Ennoshita will stay in the back to pick up block-outs. Nakashima performs a block-out during the next play, and Ennoshita runs towards the back. He tells himself that if he can't pick up the ball, then he has no right being on the court. He receives the ball, angering Nakashima. Nishinoya then sends the ball to Hinata who runs up to spike. He figures out that he will get stopped if he spikes. He then glances the ball of Naruko's hands and sends it back to Karasuno's side. Nishinoya receives it and sends it to Kageyama. Sugawara (Narita in the anime) questions where Hinata learned how to do that, and Tsukishima says it was during the Tokyo Camp, but also comments that the one he pulled off was most likely a fluke. Sugawara then thinks that their defense has been a lot different since Daichi left the game, but Hinata is still managing to adapt. He then decoys for Tanaka, who spikes from the left and scores. Tanaka then praises Hinata for the rebound. Meanwhile at Fukurōdani, Bokuto feels as if he's being praised, while Akaashi says he's imagining it. Nakashima thinks about what he's heard about Hinata before, and assumed he was only good because of Kageyama.
Tsukishima scores a quick and makes the score 12-13, and the teams switch sides. Nakashima is shocked by how good Karasuno is, as they used to just be okay compared to other schools. It's revealed that Nakashima, like Hinata, was inspired by the Tiny Giant to play volleyball. He then vows to surpass Hinata, and also the Tiny Giant himself. He spikes from the back, but is oblivious to Karasuno's defense, and is shut down. Karasuno is now tied 13-13. Nakashima's teammates then freak out, causing Nakashima to get angry, telling them they need to be more encouraging. Matsushima scores a quick, and Wakunan keeps the lead. Asahi scores right afterwards and is up to serve. Akiu receives his serve but the ball is flying long. Kageyama and Nakashima are caught in a joust, which Kageyama wins due to the height difference. Nakashima then comments that these are times when he hates his height. However, Kawatabi keeps the ball in play. Hanayama then sets to Nakashima, who vows that he's not losing no matter what, and scores. The score is 18-18. The next rally is intense, with both teams spiking and receiving several times. Akiu picks up Asahi's spike, but the ball lands out, giving Karasuno the lead. Wakunan's coach then calls a timeout. He tells his team to keep up the intensity, and that Karasuno will soon start to make mistakes. He also tells Nakashima to remind the audience that he deserves the title as the Tiny Giant. The match continues.
The score is 20-19. Hinata is up to serve, and Tsukishima rotates in. He tells Kageyama that coach asked to send sets to Asahi more as the set is nearing its end, to which Kageyama agrees. Matsushima spikes a quick, and Tanaka receives it. Karasuno performs a synchronized attack. Kageyama predicts that since Hinata is in the back, Wakunan will be focused on Asahi the most. He then surprises Wakunan by passing to Ennoshita instead, who scores. Karasuno now has a 2-point lead. The score is 23-21. Asahi is now up to serve. He serves but lands the ball out. He apologizes but Nishinoya smacks him and says not to worry. Matsushima is now up to serve. He tells himself not to worry about the score and to stay focused. Despite this, he lands the ball out, and Karasuno has match point 24-22. He freaks out, but Nakashima tells him to shake it off. Kawatabi then tells Matsushima that if he keeps acting scared when he rotates to the front, then he's buying him a Häagen-Dazs after the game. Tsukishima is up to serve and Hinata rotates back to the front. Nakashima performs a feint during the next play and the score is 24-23.
Kawatabi is up to serve and feels a little pressured as a missed serve will end the game instantly. Nakashima calms him down by once again referring to the girl from earlier. Kawatabi serves but clips the net again. Nishinoya receives it. Hinata questions if he should do a quick or let Tanaka score the last point. He decides to go for the quick, but Kageyama accidentally sends the ball too high. However, Hinata still gets it over to Wakunan's side. Onikōbe states that Karasuno is beginning to break down. Ennoshita then tells Hinata to stay in control and asks what makes a good jump. Hinata then answers: "One with a solid approach." Onikōbe then realizes that Wakunan no longer has the advantage with Daichi gone, and instead Karasuno has gained the advantage. Nakashima goes to block. Hinata attempts to move his hands to block, but Nakashima still performs a block-out. However, Ennoshita receives the ball and sends it back to Kageyama. Hinata runs back and spikes a quick through a 2-man block, which Kawatabi fails to receive. Akiu runs after the ball, but does not make it in time. Karasuno wins 25-23 and wins the match.
Aftermath[]
After the teams shake hands, Hinata comments that Nakashima was more like the Tiny Giant than Hinata was. Kageyama then reminds him that he's way behind Nakashima in experience and skill. The two fight as Sugawara tells them to stop. Wakunan's team is seen crying, while Nakashima manages to keep a serious look. They thank their supporters. Nakashima's family claps for them tearfully. As Karasuno walks off the court, they notice Daichi and Yachi standing outside. Daichi tells his team that he feels a lot better and is ready for the next match. As they leave, Daichi praises Ennoshita on his performance. Ennoshita then goes to the bathroom, while Kinoshita states that he seems a little down despite the fact that they won.
In the bathroom, Ennoshita splashes his face with water as he reflects on the times he messed up and how whether they won or lost, he just feels relieved that it's over. Meanwhile, Yamaguchi says that he needs to use the bathroom and walks away from the first-years. Hinata comments that he seems serious about going to the bathroom, while Tsukishima comments that he doesn't believe that he's using the bathroom. Meanwhile, outside of the building, Kawatabi finds Nakashima and tells him that it's time for their team meeting. Nakashima then talks about how he can still see what happened in the last play as if it was in slow motion. He comments on how Hinata was able to predict exactly where he was going to hit, and that it sent chills up his spine. He then tearfully exclaims that he wishes he could've played more.
On another court, Date Tech and Aoba Johsai are playing their second set, with Aoba Johsai leading 4-3. Daichi then comments that the winner is their next opponent.