"Nekoma's Ace" (Japanese:
Overview[]
The tug-of-war continues into the second set between Nekoma and Nohebi. A spectator comments that the number 4 has traditionally belonged to the ace, but Nekoma's ace seems like nothing special. Daishō instructs his teammates to target number 4 when serving to suffocate him, but Yamamoto continues to cleanly receive the attacks. Yamamoto manages to save the ball despite its awkward angle and spikes it over, showing the audience and the volleyball players what it means to be a true ace. The score is now at 13-15 with Nekoma in the lead.
Plot[]
Kenma tosses to Kuroo but they are slightly off in timing. Kuroo is still able to bump the ball over and bring the score 8-8 in the second set. Alisa praises Kuroo's accomplishment while Akane guesses that Kuroo must be under a great amount of pressure due to being a middle blocker expected to attack and defend and is now covering for Yaku.
Lev gets a one-touch on Hiroo's spike and quickly rushes to do a broad jump attack. The broad attack works and Nekoma is now in the lead. Kuroo is pleased to see that Lev has gotten into a groove. Lev's performance also captivates several members of the audience who have come to believe that Lev is the real ace of the team due to his height and athleticism. Some of the audience members realize that Nekoma is a team that traditionally gives the number 4 jersey to the ace but guess that Yamamoto is "an ace in name only".
The Nohebi players begin to declare they will only mark Lev from now on as they see him as the real threat and will not pay any mind to Yamamoto. When Hiroo is getting ready to serve, he remembers that Suguru instructed him to aim all of his serves toward Yamamoto. When Yamamoto is forced to pick up the serve, Kenma sees Nohebi's plan of keeping Yamamoto in-check. Suguru plans on targeting Yamamoto in order to build pressure on the ace because he is well-aware that the team ace is the one who is counted on to make points in dire situations. For several serves, Nohebi is able to keep Yamamoto contained.
When Fukunaga is next to serve, Hiroo tries aggravating Yamamoto with more taunts that he is only able to do cross shots but notices Yamamoto doesn't go for the bait. Yamamoto admits to himself that he's nervous, knowing that Yaku is not behind him but because Yaku is not there to help Yamamoto knows he cannot waste time on being scared of Nohebi's tricks.
Kuguri gets a spike past Lev but Yamamoto is able to save it and right away calls for Kenma to give him the last hit. To everyone's surprise, Yamamoto at last lands a straight shot.
Appearances[]
Chapter notes[]
Character revelations[]
Trivia[]
- For Nekoma and Fukurōdani, the number 4 has traditionally belonged to the ace.
- It is revealed that the number 4 is often worn by the ace, but it will depend on the volleyball team as to whether they would follow that as there are plenty of teams where the number is just worn by someone other than the ace. Examples include Karasuno with Asahi and Shiratorizawa with Ushijima.