What's wrong with me…?' There was nothing I couldn't do, so I was rather scared of Yamato's day

What's wrong with me…?' There was nothing I couldn't do, so I was rather scared of Yamato's day

Blog Article

Yamato had a perfect day. It was a rather scary day because it was so perfect.

Yamato Nakano (registered name: Yamato) is the only foreign setter in the men's team of the Dodram 2024-2025 V-League. He led his team to five consecutive wins with remarkable performance in the early days of the season. He has been on the lookout for many rival teams thanks to his fast walk and brilliant game management. Recently, however, Yamato has revealed himself uneasy with the shaky team. As a result, Yamato has come under intense criticism when pointing out the composition of KEPCO, which has one less foreign striker than other teams.

However, Yamato proved his value once again in the third round match between Samsung Fire and KEPCO held at Chungmu Gymnasium in Daejeon on Sunday. He led the game by disturbing blockers of Samsung Fire and Marine Insurance with his signature ball control. Yamato, who added two points on serve, four blocking, and two offensive, displayed perfect performance and led his team to 3-1 (27-25, 25-19, 21-25, 25-23, 25-23).
Yamato, who visited the interview room after the game, said, "It was like there was no next time for us as we continued to lose consecutive games. Still, I tried to focus on the victory of this game itself rather than being too conscious of the losing streak, but I'm glad I won."

Korea Electric Power Corp. had variables on the day. As Seo Jae-deok was excluded from the roster due to back pain, rookie Yoon Ha-joon started instead. Moreover, as Seo's original position was not replaced by Yoon Ha-joon, the setter Yamato, who had to coordinate the match, apparently had a heavy burden on him as the team had to change its rotation from front to back order.
However, Yamato remained solid. He did not falter due to variables and played smoothly. "Each striker has his own detailed tactics, whether it be a front or back order. So, I tried to focus on the game as I prepared without being too aware of the change in order and increase each point," Yamato told the story.

Yamato's serve-blocking attack on the day was truly a "crack" of the match. His solid side blocking and sharp serve led KEPCO to rise. However, Yamato himself showed glaring reactions to this. "I was rather scared because it went so well (laughs). I'm not a player who usually scores a lot by blocking or serving, but it worked out so perfectly until the second set," he said with an awkward smile.
We were also able to briefly talk with Yamato about Kwon Young-min's remarks during the game against KB Insurance. At the end of the third set when the team was losing, Kwon called the players and said, "Get out and come out quickly," in an unconventional manner. The move was aimed at stimulating players who lack concentration and confidence.

Yamato responded calmly, saying, "I got in a lot of trouble even after the game. I think it was a good match. As a coach, there was nothing to say to us." He also said, "I think the players could feel how sincere the coach is when it comes to running the team," adding that he understood Kwon's feelings.

Now, KEPCO will return to the halfway point of this season with Woori Card's away game on the 31st. Yamato said, "We created a really good atmosphere at the beginning of the season, but since then, we have experienced a lot of losing consecutive games. Recognizing that such a variety of situations can come at any time, I want to do well in the remaining half of the season by providing good team feedback during the All-Star break."

Finally, Yamato also briefly revealed his ambition to participate in the upcoming All-Star Game on January 4. Yamato, who understood the word 메이저놀이터 All-Star Game even after going through an interpreter, said, "I'm not preparing anything special right now, but I wonder if I'll prepare something when I get a request. However, I don't really like being too stereotyped. I'll show you something unexpected." I wonder what unexpected performances he will show in Chuncheon.