So in Hank's current situation, the only real chance to steady things might be to wait for the other side to make a mistake and for him to rotate back to the front row.
But before he got rotated to the front row again, they had to seize every opportunity carefully and make sure they did not give up too many points.
Otherwise, even if Hank did rotate back to the front row, it might already be too late to change anything.
"Since that's what you want, Hank, I'll give it a try. I'll set the ball near the net and do my best to get it to the height of your approach jump."
Right now, Toru Oikawa did not have much confidence either. Trying to predict exactly where Hank would be when he reached the net and then setting the ball to that height was still far too difficult for him.
That was the kind of thing that required a long period of training and coordination before he could truly do it.
At his current level, he simply could not manage it yet.
"No need. Just put the ball above my head. Whenever I start my approach and jump, that's when you set it."
Hank remained perfectly calm and spoke in an even tone. All he needed was for Toru Oikawa to cooperate with him. He did not require some incredible display of technique from him. Since a perfect front-row set was too hard to pull off, then simply sending the ball to him directly would be enough.
After all, he could not rely on his jumping talent alone forever if he wanted to score. He had to use other methods too.
"If it's a back-row spike, they'll definitely block it. That idea won't work."
The moment Toru Oikawa heard Hank's plan, he rejected it outright. When Hank was in the front row, as long as he could get into his approach and jump, he could break through almost any block.
But if he was in the back row, that advantage would disappear. Only after rotating back to the front row could he truly make full use of it again.
Relying on back-row spikes alone really would not accomplish much. Even if he managed to break through the opponent's block, it still would not pose much of a threat to their libero.
It could be said that the plan would not do much at all.
Yet just as he was about to explain further, he saw the serious look on Hank's face. In the end, Toru Oikawa could only shake his head helplessly. He still did not understand it, but he could only do his best to send the ball toward the front row.
Bang!
After Yutaro Kindaichi dug the ball up, Toru Oikawa, standing in the back row, immediately sent a high set toward the net without any hesitation. Because of the limits of his technique, he could not control the height precisely and could only leave the judgment to Hank himself.
But because Hank was in the back row, the instant he started moving, Takanobu Aone locked onto him immediately. At that very moment, excitement actually appeared on his face.
He could already picture Hank's spike being stuffed straight back under the net.
As long as they managed to block even one of them, it would put a lot of pressure on Aoba Johsai. After all, Hank was their ace. If they could shut down his attack, the impact would definitely be different.
It would absolutely strike at Aoba Johsai's momentum at its root.
Seeing this, all three of Aone's blockers at the net jumped in place at the same time, springing toward the direction Hank was about to attack from. Their hands were raised high over the net, and their eyes were full of confidence.
Because in their view, Toru Oikawa's set had not been a good one. The result of this attack could only be the ball crashing into the net.
"Not bad. At least it isn't too low."
After running to the net, Hank looked at the volleyball still hanging above his head, his expression unchanged. For any ordinary spiker, this would have been a very difficult ball to attack.
But Hank only glanced at it once before lightly tipping it to the left.
That was exactly the gap in front of him where Aone and the other two had failed to seal the block. The moment Date Tech realized what Hank had done, everyone's expressions changed drastically.
None of them had expected Hank to use a move like that and dismantle their defense so directly. They could only watch helplessly as the volleyball dropped into the middle of the court.
"Damn it!"
Kenji Futakuchi threw himself forward in a diving save, but he still could not get the ball up. Looking at the volleyball that had already hit the floor, he could only slam his fist against the court in frustration. What was going on? Hank had actually managed to tip the ball away in that tiny instant. Had he really calculated even that?
"How is that possible?!"
Aone's brows drew tightly together. He had not expected Hank to make that play in the end at all. It had completely gone beyond everything they predicted. And on top of that, he had launched the attack from the back row, which made the difficulty of it obvious.
This guy was not as simple as he looked.
When it came to volleyball technique, he was just as skilled.
(End of Chapter)
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