"Targeting" (Japanese:
Overview
Karasuno turns up the heat in the second set. They quickly develop a counter strategy against Nekoma's attempts to seal their quick. Just when the two teams seem evenly matched, Asahi shatters the balance with a no-touch service ace.
Plot
Bokuto and Akaashi, watching from the sidelines, notice Yachi in the audience. They have a discussion about the intensity of the match. Yachi points out that this is the first time since she joined that the team has dropped the first set in a three set match with the one exception being when they played against Shiratorizawa. Bokuto and Akaashi observe that this is especially difficult for Karasuno, who are used to scoring a lot of points before the other team is used to them, especially since Nekoma is typically a team that ramps up over the course of the match. Bokuto reassures Yachi, who says that this could be Karasuno's last set at Nationals, by saying that she should be focused on the progress the team has made to get to this point.
Nishinoya receives a serve targeted at Hinata.
Kageyama serves. Kai receives. Yamamoto spikes and scores. Kenma targets Hinata with his serve once more, but this time Nishinoya rushes forward to receive the ball instead. Daichi scores. Tanaka is next up to serve. Yamamoto receives, and Lev is the one to score. It is then Lev's turn to serve. Noticing that Karasuno has bunched up near the front in anticipation of another serve targeting Hinata, Lev aims for the back. The tactic is easily thwarted by Nishinoya, who cleanly receives the serve and allows Hinata to score. Lev believes he just did something unnecessary, but Coach Nekomata encourages his efforts to think and experiment.
After another tough rally, Tanaka scores for Karasuno. The commentators remark that it took so much for Karasuno to simply secure a side out. Both teams seemed to be in equilibrium, neither budging an inch. However, Asahi silences them with a clean service ace.
Appearances
- Hitoka Yachi
- Kōtarō Bokuto
- Keiji Akaashi
- Shōyō Hinata
- Tobio Kageyama
- Nobuyuki Kai
- Morisuke Yaku
- Shōhei Fukunaga
- Akane Yamamoto
- Alisa Haiba
- Taketora Yamamoto
- Daichi Sawamura
- Kenma Kozume
- Yū Nishinoya
- Lev Haiba
- Kōshi Sugawara
- Ryūnosuke Tanaka
- Keishin Ukai
- Asahi Azumane
- Tetsurō Kuroo
- Yasufumi Nekomata
- Saeko Tanaka
- Kei Tsukishima
Chapter notes
Character revelations
Trivia
- In commemoration of the fated match between Karasuno and Nekoma, the chapter includes a color page featuring Kiyoko Shimizu and Alisa Haiba together. The text reads: "The goddesses watch over the final battle..."
