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Challenge again! How to face Tokyo Haneda and Mitsubishi Electric
From today, the Futures League enters the second round.
Queen Bees will face Tokyo Haneda and Mitsubishi Electric, who have suffered four consecutive losses since the opening match. The next two matches will be a “cross-legged” schedule, with the opponents changing each day.
Regarding this point, head coach Sachiko Ishikawa said, “This is my first experience as a coach, and there are some difficult points such as making adjustments for the next day’s game, but the same conditions apply to the opposing team. I want to fight while valuing this.”
Before leaving for the expedition, I spoke to head coach Ishikawa and captain Momoko Inoue about the first round, and the common issue they mentioned was a “lack of scoring ability.” How to overcome this will be the key to the second round and beyond. They are also being asked how they can control the flow in important situations that determine victory or defeat.
In order to move up the rankings, there will be a series of matches that we cannot afford to lose any more.
How can we overcome the challenges that have come to light so far and lead to victory?
All eyes will be on the first match of the season, against Tokyo Haneda, which will be toss-up at 2:30 pm.
Dear Fan Boosters
Energy to the players this season as well from the venue and the broadcast! !
Head coach/captain statement
Sachiko Ishikawa Head Coach
Our problem so far is that we have fallen short of our goal of 75 points each game on offense, and our players have not been able to fully demonstrate their strengths. Additionally, we share the same understanding with the players regarding the issue of “how to shorten the time when the momentum is tilted toward the opponent.” In particular, there may be delays in responding during a match depending on the characteristics of the opponent and the conditions on the day, and this can greatly affect the outcome of the match. There are many cases where we are unable to stop players who are in good shape and allow the opponent to take over the flow, so we need to overcome this point along with the issue of offense. It is important not only to prepare before the match, but also to further improve your ability to respond during the match.
The second round, which begins with the match against Tokyo Haneda after playing against all teams, is a very important phase. Since I have experience playing against them in the first round, I have the advantage of being able to easily plan for them. I think the players also have a first-hand feel of the opponent’s fighting style from their previous matches. However, the same conditions apply to the other party. Therefore, I would like to gain an advantage by assessing the tactics of the day and responding flexibly during the match.
Momoko Inoue
Looking back on the first round, my honest opinion is that I wanted to increase my chances of winning a little more. Although they are currently in 5th place, they still have a good chance of winning. We will not be pessimistic and will approach each match in front of us with the attitude of trying to win one by one.
After the first round, there was a game where I was unable to respond to the opponent’s defense and my scoring was sluggish, so I feel that I need the ability to flexibly respond to any defense. Although we have not yet reached the team’s goal of 75 points, I don’t think the bar is that high. It is important to increase the number of shot attempts and actively aim for points.
In terms of defense, especially in the first match against Tokyo Haneda, there were many situations where we allowed our opponents to take shots freely. However, I feel like our team defense and adjustments have been working better with each match. Going forward, I think our challenge will be to connect our good defense to offense.
In both the matches against Tokyo Haneda and Mitsubishi Electric, we will take into account what we learned from our previous matches and will increase our one-on-one pressure and thoroughly defend our opponents to prevent them from doing what they want to do. We will also be very conscious of rebounding and strive to gain an advantage both offensively and defensively.
