2010 World Championship: BRONZE Medal Match: USA 2-3 Japan (25-18/ 23-25/ 25-21/ 19-25/ 8-15)
Stats:
Watch:
Gallery from www.FIVB.org:
FIVB Press Quotes:
Japan setter Yoshie Takeshita: “Today, a few sets were won by the US but as a whole we didn’t want to lose this match. Our strong feeling of scoring each and every point lead us to victory. Through this tournament each match, starting with the first match against Poland, influenced our play and the way to proceed.
On what happened after losing the first set?
“Even though we lost the first set, the mood wasn’t so bad. Switching our mind to the next set very fast made us able to play better.”
In the fifth set, Japanese team scored eight points and Yamamoto scored two points by feint. It seemed to be your toss was ideally for Yamamoto to feint. Did you two talked and planned to do that?
I effectively used Yamamoto since her percentage of succeeded attacking was high and her condition was good. During the timeout that was right before the court change, we talked about it and we were able to do this tactic perfectly together.
Q.)To be honest, did you think that Japanese team was able to win a medal in the beginning of this tournament??
During the World Grand Prix held in this summer, we were able to compete with the upper level teams. Also, our staff had studied the other team’s data and gave us detailed direction. Thus, I thought we have a chance to win a medal.
Japan player Saori Kimiura: “That was a very last game even if we would win or lose, and also it was a last chance for the medal so all of us had a strong mind and high motivation. Through this world championship, getting the medal has been one of our goals. I feel happy that we could achieve it.”
Q.) You said that getting the medal was your one of the goals. Except that, what goal did you have and how did you achieve it in the championship?
“We had mane games in the championship, and I think that it is quite impossible to keep a perfect condition in every game. So even when we have a hard game that we would hardly win, keeping strong mind was one of my aims. I don’t think that I could perfectly achieve it, but I’m glad that we could get the medal.”
Q.) You didn’t get the first set because of the American powerful mood, but you got the second set. What did you think or try to do to motivate team mates in order to win?
“Personally, I didn’t do anything, but I think every member of the team kept their motivation to win next set, and that is why we could get the second set.”
Japan player Mizuho Ishida: “I am very happy that we won this match putting all our players’ minds together. I could not get in the court even once throughout this World Championship and I’ve been supporting our members. But I was given a chance to play during the match against Brazil last night. Even though we were defeated, the mood of our team was actually good. Today I am very happy to get a chance to play in the court and finally won this match.”
Q.) You have been supporting players and tonight you were selected as a starting member. How did you feel about it?
“I have been supporting players with Ms. Hamaguchi and we were strongly hoping to win. Tonight, I was given chance so I want to thank to players who have been played throughout this tournament and come to the final, and also to all other staffs who supported us.”
Japan coach Masayoshi Manabe: “I’m glad to win in the bronze medal match. To get a medal is our goal this year, so I’m satisfied. We have eleven matches in this championship and it was heavy schedule. And also we felt pressure because Japan is the host country of this championship. But staff supported us, so we could win.”
Q.) How far did you reach your goal in serve receiving?
“After the world grand prix, we tried to get back spikes stronger. All players concentrated very well, so we improved the level in each match.”
Q.) In the fourth set, Japan lost five points in a row. What do you think of that?
“We changed two players at one time in the Fourth set. Looking back on it, I should have changed earlier.”
Q.) I think that leading on opponent’s errors by with serving and playing carefully is Japanese style. Are you going to keep this style?
“No. Our last goal is to win in Olympic game in 2012. So we have to adapt to change. We are going to learn and try new style in winter.”
USA coach Hugh McCutcheon: “I’m proud with the way our team competed. Both the US and Japan did their best, and they were very good. As a result, we were defeated. It was a long tournament. We had the privilege of visiting various cities of Japan, and it was certainly different than playing in New York. That difference made it a bit difficult for us. Japan played a good match, so I want to congratulate them. We learned from this year, and hopefully we will come back stronger next year.”
USA player Destinee Hooker: “The US and Japan both battled so hard, and the USA just finished short, and we lost.”