Japan posted a solid win against Dominican Republic without being brilliant
Tokyo, Japan, May 20, 2016 - Japanese coach Masatoshi Manabe said there were still areas where his team needs to improve, while Dominican Republic coach Marcos Kwiek said he will now focus on developing a team for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Japan coach Masayoshi Manabe - “Our service was functioning well for the first time in a while. Our blocks could have been better but we won in straight set and I am relieved.”
“We practiced a lot on digs for tonight. That was our lifeline. We can still improve on connecting passes.”
Dominican Republic coach Marcos Kwiek - “We fought hard but at the decisive moments we lost points we couldn’t afford to lose.”
“We will reorganize and regroup with young players looking forward to the Tokyo 2020 Games.”
Japan captain Saori Kimura - “I can't say much about today's match. The most important thing was to win in straight sets and we did that. The quality was not all that good today.”
Dominican captain Bethania De La Cruz - “We didn't play well tonight. We played better than Wednesday. We are lacking finishing touch and that is why we have this result.”
Japan player Haruka Miyashita - “We were saved by the mistakes of our opponent’s tonight. It won't be like that in the next two games.”
“I was calmer today than against Thailand, but I still rushed my serves and sets sometimes.”