Yuki Ishikawa leads Japan to a win over Czech Republic
Okoyama, Japan, May 30, 2015 - An inspired performance from home crowd favourite Yuki Ishikawa led Japan to a hard-fought victory over Czech Republic. Japan overcame a one-set deficit to win 3-1 (21-25, 25-18, 25-22, 25-20).
The Czech team started the match strong as they raced out to a quick 4-0 lead. The rest of the first set saw both teams going back and fourth, but the attacking game of Kamil Baranek allowed the Czechs to hold on to their lead and win the set. The second set proved to be a reversal of fortunes as the home side built a few-point lead early on. Masashi Kuriyama's dominance in service and attack helped Japan level things up at one set all.
Neither team was able to assert their dominance in the third set as the score remained very close up to the very end. To the delight of the home fans a great offensive display from Yuki Ishikawa helped Japan build a late lead and snatch the set 25-22.
In the fourth set Japan were able to break away from their opponents after the first technical time-out. Ishikawa's magic both in defence and offense helped the home team close out the match with a comfortable 25-20 in the fourth set. After today's match the Japanese fans will be hoping for more of the same when the two teams meet again on Sunday.
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