Ishikawa, Japan brace for 'tough' game against USA

Yuki Ishikawa (left) CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Japan ace spiker and team captain Yuki Ishikawa braces for a tough game against fellow fan-favorite Team USA at the conclusion of the Men's Volleyball Nations League (VNL) Manila leg at the Mall of Asia Arena on Sunday.

The Japanese and the Americans collide at 7 p.m., their match serving as the final offering of the international showpiece.

"Yes, it's our last game in the Philippines, so we will do our best every time, and we will continue to play well," said Ishikawa.

"It's a really, really tough game for sure. United States plays really, really fast, so our service needs to be well."

Sans Ran Takahashi and Yuji Nishida playing limited, Ishikawa dropped 33 points to power Japan in an epic comeback win against France on Saturday, 17-25, 19-25, 25-16, 25-23, 15-10.

"Today, it's not important for me. What's important is the team, so our teammates played very well, so I had to make the right plays," said Ishikawa, whose team improved to 8-3, good for fifth place in the standings.

USA, on the other hand, sits at 11th place with a 5-6 slate.

"First two sets, we were not working good. At the same time, we made too many mistakes, especially on our attacks. After the third set, we worked on our chemistry, our attack, and defense," said Ishikawa.

"First, second set, we were a little bit nervous, and we have to push all the time, we have to fight all the time. After the second set, we changed our minds and we were playing with more focus."