Osaka, Japan, September 17, 2015 - Too many serving errors were the cause of some of Japan's problems despite defeating Venezuela in three sets, according to coach Masashi Nambu.
Japan coach Masashi Nambu: Yesterday after we won we talked about our trouble on defense. Our defense was not good from the right side tonight. We made too many mistakes on serve. We had rallies in deuce in the first set and were able to manage them. The players were calm and stable tonight, which is good. We have to work on our blocking defense. If Shimizu is in the front row we are OK, but if he is not we have problems. It is difficult to fix our defense in the middle of the tournament.
Venezuela coach Vincenzo Nacchi: The first two sets were good, but in the end we could not win the match. We had good starts in the first and second sets just like against other opponents. We could not utilize our opportunities, especially on counterattack. In the third set we had frustration and did not work well. We must fix this and work from tomorrow.
Japan captain Kunihiro Shimizu: Today's victory gave us confidence. Their skill and technique was good. As a team we were able to win. We had to be united to win tonight. Against Iran we will have to be organized and have good combination play. Their setter is very good.
Japan player Masahiro Yanagida: My condition was not good today and that affected the team. I will do better tomorrow. Iran has good float serves. We need to block well and force them into mistakes.
Japan player Yuki Ishikawa: It was a long match. We did not make many mistakes. My serve and reception were not good. I will do better tomorrow. I focused and did my best. I have to improve my serve for the Iran match.
Venezuela captain Kervin Pinerua: Japan did a great job. We could not finish pionts. We lost many chances because we could not finish and Japan was able to.
Venezuela player Jose Carrasco: In the first and second sets we led but could not win. That is unfortunate. We were not good in counterattack. That is why we lost. Our rhythm was not bad but we could not finish well. The third set was frustrating after the first and second sets.