Attack was the key factor of today’s win – Japan captain Misaki Yamauchi

Ljubljana, Slovenia, September 15, 2017 – Japan trounced Kenya in straight-set (15-7, 15-8, 15-6, 15-9) on Friday afternoon but depend on the result of Brazil versus Cuba whether they stay in the competition or not. Japan's coach and captain praised their improvements in attack.

Japan coach Kiyoshi Abo: “My players were more focused today. After yesterday’s match when Turkey stopped our attacking, we tried to improve our play in attack. We succeeded and that is one reason why we won today against Kenya. As we might play against China in the 5-8 semis, I gave a chance to my other players in order to prepare well against the strongest Asian volleyball team.”

Japan captain Misaki Yamauchi: “We are very happy to win this match as it was very important for us. Our tactics was to win as much points as possible with our attacks. For us every match counts as we would like to achieve the highest possible ranking in this championship.”

Kenya coach Catherine Mabwi: “My players tried their best in their first international tournament. They had a very good experience here. I believe when they return they will work on their mistakes. In the next championships, they will perform better. We had many problems with injuries. It becomes a bit of a challenge to play with 12 players. This has really affected my team and I have to admit it has also disoriented me.”

Kenya captain Shyrine Jepkemboi: “We played well today but at some point during the match we lost concentration. It has been in general a good experience for us to play here in Ljubljana; we learnt a lot from other players as these were our first international matches.”

All matches in Ljubljana are played under a new scoring system currently being tested: a best-of-seven, 15-point set format.

Quick links - Volleyball:
FIVB Volleyball Women's U23 World Championship 2017
FIVB Volleyball Women's U23 World Championship 2017 - Schedule
FIVB Volleyball Women's U23 World Championship 2017 - Teams
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