Let's think together as a team.
Prepare countermeasures and practice,
Aiming for "Victory"

College of Health and Welfare 2nd Year Student
Boys' Volleyball Team Opposite
Graduate of Toyo High School, Tokyo

Masato Tsuchiya

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Admiring the senior in the volleyball club, I went to J. F. Oberlin University

I started playing volleyball in the fifth grade of elementary school. I was interested in it, but my elementary school didn't have a volleyball club. There was a club nearby that accepted students from other schools, so I started going there. My parents were both volleyball players, so they helped me with my individual training at the park. Thanks to them, I was able to play in matches from my first year of middle school and high school.

In junior high, I served as vice-captain, and in high school, I was captain. When I took on the role of mentoring juniors and saw them improve and grow, I discovered the joy of teaching others. It was then that I decided to go to university and get a physical education teaching license. There are other universities where you can obtain a teaching license, but I chose J. F. Oberlin University because a senior from high school was on the Obirin volleyball club. Since I was three years my senior, I had never played in the same match, but I had the chance to come to my high school for instruction and was enthusiastically taught receiving techniques, which I was weak at. I wanted to play alongside that senior, so I decided to enroll in Obirin.

Aiming for victory through player-led volleyball.

The way club activities are approached in university is completely different from what I did up until high school. While the big goal of 'victory' is the same, the J. F. Oberlin University Volleyball Club is characterized by 'player-led' volleyball, where players independently plan strategies and respond to opposing teams. We sometimes receive advice from the coach during matches, but we also plan and execute training and tactics ourselves. Obirin also avoids strict hierarchies between seniors and juniors, which is unique to Obirin. Even as a first-year student, I was able to express my opinions thanks to the kindness of my fourth-year seniors.

Last year, the spring league season was canceled due to the impact of COVID-19, and we weren't able to play as many games as we wanted. In that context, the final game of the resumed autumn league, where we won against Rissho University, is the most memorable for me. It was the last game I could play with my admired senior teammates, and more than anything, I was happy that the strategy we all devised bore fruit in the form of a victory.

Our goal for 2022 is to finish in the top 6 in the league, which is our best-ever result.

J. F. Oberlin University Thankfully, I've been playing in matches since my first year. The assigned "opposite" is often positioned diagonally to the setter, on the right side, but this position requires a variety of abilities. In addition to spike ability, blocking and serve receiving skills are also required. Since I am entrusted with such an important position, I value each day of practice, not only focusing on physical ability improvement training but also actively encouraging communication to contribute to the overall improvement of the team.

My goal for this season is to finish in the top six in both the spring and fall league matches. If we achieve this, we'll have a chance to compete in the Intercollegiate Championships (All Japan Student Championships). As a university athlete, the Intercollegiate Championships are a dream stage. I will work hard every day to make that happen.

Interview date:
This was done in April 2022 for the "Obirin Sports" website.

Let's think together as a team.Prepare countermeasures and practice,Aiming for "Victory"

Main content

Admiring the senior in the volleyball club, I went to J. F. Oberlin University

Aiming for victory through player-led volleyball.

Our goal for 2022 is to finish in the top 6 in the league, which is our best-ever result.

Related content

Let's think together as a team.
Prepare countermeasures and practice,
Aiming for "Victory"