Japan produced one of the defining moments of their Volleyball Nations League campaign against Serbia, with opposite Yuji Nishida closing out consecutive sets on ace serves in a sequence that left broadcasters scrambling for superlatives.
"Ace serve for set one, ace serve for set two, and Japan lead by two sets to nothing," the commentary team said as Japan took control of the match. "The crowd go crazy. What a comeback. This is just ridiculous volleyball."
The sequence itself was a masterclass in serving variation. Nishida opened the second set with a flat ace that grazed the sideline. He responded to Serbia's subsequent timeout by repeating the act from the other side of the court. "So he's had a one in 10 on the left, he's now got a one in 10 on the right," the broadcast said.
"Oh my goodness. The first point in the second set goes the way of the home team. Now, the flat ace serve," the commentator added.
Japan's 22-year-old middle blocker Yamauchi complemented Nishida's serving with timely defensive interventions. "That is a big block this time. Yamauchi — yeah, he's trying to be tricky there, tricky Mickey," the broadcast said during a rally in set two.
Setter Sekita's connection with Nishida continued to burn Serbia throughout the set. "Once to Yamamoto, Nishida. Oh, that is outstanding. Oh, it's so good. Not only is it good, it's incredibly aesthetically pleasing," the commentary team said of a long rally finished by Nishida cross-court.
The Serbian blockers — including former world champion Aleksandar Atanasijevic — struggled to read Nishida's attack patterns. "Right now, Serbia has no clue how to get the ball through this Japanese block," the commentators said. "When you serve the ball in the court, you get rewarded by block touches or block points."
Japan eventually closed out the match in four sets, with the momentum shift on Nishida's consecutive ace serves cited as the turning point. The win moved Japan into contention for a finals spot in the VNL season and further established the team as one of the genuine Olympic medal contenders heading into 2028.
"Japan Egor at two-point lead in the 20s," the broadcast added as Japan edged out Slovenia in the same tournament block. "Pulls up early."
The VNL pool stage concludes in July, with the top teams advancing to the finals in Ningbo, China.