"Tweet!—"

The whistle sounded. The third set began, and both teams returned to the court.

CA San Juan's lineup:

Front row—Setter Oikawa Tōru, Middle Blocker Agustín Loser, Outside Hitter Kaedehara Taichi.

Back row—Outside Hitter Facundo Conte, Middle Blocker Martin Ramos (Libero: Santiago Danani) and Opposite Hitter Bruno Lima.

Trentino Volley's lineup:

Front row—Middle Blocker Ivan Zaytsev, Outside Hitter Alexander Delloro, Opposite Hitter Luca Boro.

Back row—Setter Kageyama Tobio, Outside Hitter Yuri Romano and Middle Blocker Ryan Mosca (Libero: Fabio Balaso).

Having won two consecutive sets, San Juan neither needed nor chose to change their lineup. Trentino, on the other hand, made significant adjustments.

In this third set, after Boro and Alexander's rotations, Zaytsev directly faced Kaedehara Taichi. Meanwhile, Alexander took position in the front row (position 3). Coach Ferdinando's intention was crystal clear: Zaytsev and Alexander would form a powerful rotation to target Kaedehara Taichi.

A two-on-one!

This meant Trentino's entire structure changed. Most notably, they abandoned their long-used tactic of starting with a strong serve from the setter.

The set began with Trentino serving first. Ryan stepped up to the service line.

"Tweet!—"

BOOM!!!

Ryan launched a powerful jump serve. Santiago received it.

Smack!

The ball flew out of bounds—Bruno failed to keep it in play.

—"Looks like Trentino adjusted well. That serve had some real momentum!"

—"San Juan's first pass failed—"

—"Ryan with an ace right at the start!"

[San Juan 0 - 1 Trentino]

"To be honest, when I saw it wasn't Kageyama serving from position 1, I also felt relieved," Heiwajima Toshirō commented. "Unlike what we imagine—that teams have only one or two strong servers—at the Club World Championship level, all their serves are monstrous or even beyond monstrous."

"Yeah," Komori Motoya responded gravely, fully agreeing.

They used to think the gap between Ryujin and other teams was mainly due to middle blockers. Now they realized that was just wishful thinking. In fact, apart from libero and setter, Ryujin clearly lagged behind in every position.

And even in those two roles, Oikawa and Kageyama weren't weaker than Miya Atsumu. Libero-wise, Yaku and Fabio were on the same level as Komori.

As Ryujin's players gradually became aware of their true position in this tournament, even always-smiling players like Komori and Atsumu found it hard to keep up their cheerful faces.

-----

"Tweet!—"

Trentino continued serving. Ryan jumped again!

BOOM!!!

Bruno received the ball—only a semi-accurate pass.

Oikawa quickly covered and set a high ball to the right. Taichi leaped to spike!

"Double block!" Zaytsev and Alexander tracked him tightly.

BOOM!!!

SMACK!!!

"Touched!" Zaytsev shouted.

In this rotation, Ryan (a middle blocker) was serving, so libero Fabio was not on the court. Zaytsev gambled that Taichi would seize this opportunity to target them.

"Chance ball!" Yuri easily received the ball, perfect pass to Kageyama.

Kageyama jumped to set from the front row.

San Juan's front-row block spread out—they didn't have to guard against Kageyama's dump attack, but Trentino had all three front-row attackers ready.

Whoosh!—

The ball flew to the right. Zaytsev leaped to spike!

Loser jumped for a solo block.

SMACK!

The ball slipped past Loser's right side and hit Santiago's hand, bouncing out of bounds.

Zaytsev scored!

[San Juan 0 - 2 Trentino]

"Whoa! Trentino's momentum is crazy! Two points in a row right off the bat!"

"Do they really believe they can win from here? A reverse sweep?!"

"Kageyama would never give up," Bokuto Kōtarō said in a low voice.

As Kageyama's close friend (self-proclaimed), Bokuto knew him well.

"The current situation is indeed dire…maybe their chance of winning is even lower than 1%. But as long as it's not zero, if they don't give up, there's always hope!"

"Let's go, Trentino!"

"Come on, Trentino!" In the eyes of Italian fans, that chance was far higher than 1%.

"We're the same, aren't we? No one believes we can win the championship now, but even if there's just a 1% chance, we won't give up!" Bokuto looked at his Ryujin teammates.

"So he's aware of our position in this tournament…" Meian Shūgo thought.

Indeed, as long as they were on the court and the match wasn't over, they would never give up.

"…Sorry," Kunimi Akira suddenly interrupted. "I think there's only one reason they can't win."

"If Taichi is on the other side, they don't even have that 1%."

-----

"Tweet!—"

Trentino kept serving. Ryan served a third time.

BOOM!!!

Smack!

Santiago received steadily and passed accurately.

Oikawa jumped in the front row to set—Boro had to stay in front to guard against Oikawa's dump attack.

Whoosh—!

The ball flew high to the right.

Thump!

Taichi soared.

"That's it," Kunimi watched that perfect form and whispered.

Alexander and Zaytsev both jumped for a double block!

—BOOM!!!

The ball flew over the block and smashed right in front of Ryan, bouncing up sharply.

So clean. A decisive, lethal strike!

Kaedehara Taichi scored!

[San Juan 1 - 2 Trentino]

Serve rotation. San Juan to serve.

"Tobio-chan, let me completely crush you!"

Oikawa's powerful jump serve!

BOOM!!!—

The ball shot across the court like a meteor, targeting Trentino's back row.

Smack!!!

Kageyama barely managed to receive it, but it flew out of bounds.

Yuri scrambled to cover and passed it back to the net. Zaytsev leapt for a spike!

"Double block!" Loser and Taichi both jumped up.

Loser closed off the straight line, forcing Zaytsev to angle the ball toward the right side.

BOOM!!!

The ball barely slipped past the edge of Taichi's downward-blocking arm.

Smack!

Bruno dug it up, a semi-accurate pass.

Oikawa covered and set again. Taichi in the front row and Conte in the back row both started their approach!

BAM!!!

Oikawa twisted mid-air and went for a second-touch attack!

SMACK!

Alexander barely saved it.

"Chance ball!"

Fabio was about to receive when Kageyama directly set a fast ball high to the left side. Zaytsev leaped again!

Loser jumped solo; Taichi came in for backup on the right side.

BOOM!!!—

The ball shot through the gap between the two blockers and crashed into San Juan's court.

Zaytsev scored!

[San Juan 1 - 3 Trentino]

Without turning around, Oikawa could already feel the sharp gazes of Taichi and Conte on his back—it felt like needles.

"Alright! Let's forget that mistake and focus on the next point!" Oikawa clapped forcefully, as if comforting his teammates.

Taichi: "…"

Oikawa's timing was fine, but his mid-air twist was too slow. Given Alexander's height and jump, he could easily beat Oikawa to the ball. Even if he hadn't fully read the play, it showed his intense focus.

Serve rotation. Trentino to serve.

Boro targeted Oikawa with a powerful jump serve!

Smack!

Conte covered and passed—a semi-accurate pass.

Oikawa quickly adjusted and set it high. Taichi leapt in the middle!

—BOOM!!!

The ball soared above Zaytsev and Alexander's block and smashed down onto Trentino's baseline.

A high contact spike.

Kaedehara Taichi scored!

[San Juan 2 - 3 Trentino]

"Sorry, that one was on me." Fabio raised his hand to signal.

Against the double block from Zaytsev and Alexander, Taichi's high-angled shots often landed deep near the baseline.

Fabio had worried the ball would sneak through the block gaps, so he positioned himself in the centre of the back row (zone 5), and in this case, it was his judgment error.

Serve rotation. San Juan to serve.

Loser stepped up for a powerful jump serve!

BOOM!!!

The trajectory was sharp and aimed for Trentino's deep corner.

Yuri's reception was unstable. Kageyama sprinted to the back row to cover and quickly sent the ball toward the net.

—"Kageyama forcing a quick attack despite a poor first pass!"

Alexander reacted instantly, soaring from the middle and hammering the ball down.

BOOM!!!

Smack!!!

Kaedehara Taichi managed to dig it up.

Oikawa calmly received the ball, a perfect pass.

Bruno pushed it high, and Conte launched from the back row for a spike!

BOOM!!!—

"Double block!" Zaytsev and Alexander were right in front, sealing off the attack perfectly.

—SMACK!!!

The ball rebounded off Zaytsev's arms and shot back toward San Juan's side.

Smack!

Bruno hustled to cover it. Oikawa made a quick back set to the left wing.

"Crap!"

Zaytsev and Alexander quickly switched sides, taking two big steps before jumping for the block.

—BOOM!!!

Before the block even fully formed, the ball flew right over them and crashed inside Trentino's three-meter line.

Kaedehara Taichi scored!

[San Juan 3 - 3 Trentino]

—"San Juan's transition attack was lightning quick! Trentino's double block got completely left behind!"

San Juan continued to serve. Loser stepped up for a second serve!

BOOM!!!

Smack!

Fabio received it steadily, though it was a semi-accurate pass.

Kageyama jumped in the front row to set. Zaytsev and Alexander both prepared to attack.

Taichi and Ramos each tracked their assigned blockers up front.

BAM!!!

Just as Oikawa had tried that second-touch attack earlier, Kageyama also went for a dump!

Bruno hesitated for only an instant, and the ball slipped past him.

Smack!

Taichi dove to the left and scooped it up single-handedly.

"Beautiful save!"

Kaedehara Taichi crashed to the floor, and Oikawa rushed up to set the ball high to the right.

Ramos leapt for a spike!

BOOM!!!—

—SMACK!!!

Again, Zaytsev and Alexander formed a solid double block.

The ball struck Alexander's arm and fell straight back onto San Juan's side.

Trentino scored on a block!

[San Juan 3 - 4 Trentino]

-----

Trentino played this desperate set extremely carefully. Both sides traded points repeatedly, with no one able to pull away.

Serve rotation. Trentino to serve. Alexander stepped up to the line.

"Tweet!—"

Alexander tossed the ball high, took a quick approach, leapt, and swung!

—BOOM!!!

The ball cleared the net with a low trajectory. Kaedehara Taichi, who had moved to the back row, barely managed to receive it—another semi-accurate pass.

Oikawa quickly moved in and set to the right. Ramos leapt for the spike!

"Double block!" Yuri and Zaytsev both jumped.

BOOM!!!

"Touched!" The ball deflected off Zaytsev's arm and shot up high.

Boro calmly received it. Kageyama jumped up to set from the front row.

Whoosh!—

The ball flew to the right side.

Alexander launched from the back row and smashed the ball down!

BOOM!!!

The ball slipped past Taichi and Ramos's block and flew toward the back row.

Conte hastily got his arms up.

Smack!

The ball floated toward the net. Taichi reached out and hooked it back up with one hand.

Ramos jumped again for an attack!

"Double block!" Yuri and Zaytsev both formed a perfect seal above the net.

TAP!

Ramos lightly tapped the ball over—a tip toward the back row!

"Free ball!"

Alexander shifted and started a wide approach from the sideline. Boro moved in to make a clean reception.

Thud!

Alexander launched from the back row again, flying forward.

Taichi jumped straight up, right in front of him.

Whoosh!—

The ball flew to the middle. Zaytsev leaped to spike!

Ramos went up for a solo block.

BOOM!!!

The ball avoided the block and flew toward San Juan's left corner.

Smack!

Santiago dove and dug it up.

Oikawa scrambled to cover, leaning backwards to set it forward.

"Damn it, too close!"

Taichi jumped from the middle for a spike.

BOOM!—

The ball slammed into Zaytsev's arms and got blocked straight back!

Smack!

Bruno lunged to keep it alive with one hand. Taichi then pushed the ball high to the right.

Ramos jumped for another spike!

"Double block!"

Whoosh!

Ramos swung and missed—Conte launched from the back row and slammed it down!

A suddenly orchestrated layered attack!

—BOOM!!!

Zaytsev jumped again, but the ball had already flown past his block.

SMACK!

Alexander kept it up!

Kageyama moved to set. Zaytsev jumped a third time—but couldn't quite get the height he wanted!

"Double block!" Kaedehara and Ramos both went up, pressing their hands downward.

BOOM!

Just as he was falling, Zaytsev barely got a hand on the ball.

Smack!—

The ball skimmed Ramos's hand and flew out of bounds.

—"A miracle shot! An unbelievable off-the-block touch!"

No one could have imagined Zaytsev could place such a precise shot even while off-balance.

However, the ball's speed wasn't fast. Conte chased it outside the court and—before it hit the ground—kicked it back into San Juan's airspace with his foot!

"Taichi!" Oikawa dashed into position. This time, he wouldn't repeat his earlier mistake!

Whoosh!—

The ball flew steadily high in the middle.

Its speed wasn't fast either, enough time for Trentino to prepare a double block. Kageyama dropped back; four players readied themselves to receive.

Thump!

Kaedehara Taichi jumped, facing Yuri and Zaytsev's double block.

BOOM!!!

Standing on the baseline, Fabio let out a sigh. "I knew it…he deliberately lured me toward the baseline."

The ball deflected off Yuri's arm and smashed down inside Trentino's three-meter line.

Kaedehara Taichi scored!

[San Juan 13 - 13 Trentino]

"A miracle shot?" Taichi looked over at the commentary desk, smirking mockingly. "What kind of 'miracle shot' can be saved and countered this easily? Heh."

Serve rotation. San Juan to serve.

Taichi stepped up to the line.

"Just because you managed to hold on to a tie…you're getting a bit too full of yourselves, aren't you?"

_________