I started playing volleyball around the fourth grade of elementary school. At the time, I saw my beloved Johnny's sing before the spring high school volleyball match on TV, and I thought that if I performed on this stage, I could see idols up close than at concerts. That was the trigger. I started volleyball with impure motives (laughs), but I went through elementary, junior high, and high school, and was able to participate in the spring high school volleyball tournament (though by the time I actually participated in the spring high school volleyball, I had already lost interest in Johnny's......).

I went to J. F. Oberlin University because I had a senior I admired. Even though I attended the same junior high and high school, I couldn't play volleyball together because our grades didn't overlap. When I learned that senior had enrolled in J. F. Oberlin University, I thought, 'If it's university, we can play together,' and joined the volleyball club's trial practice. I felt the atmosphere of purely enjoying volleyball, and decided to enroll.
What I felt after joining the club is Oberlin's unique character: when a good play comes out, she praises it relentlessly. Not only the players on the same court, but also those watching around her praise those who play well, saying, "Nice! Nice, nice!" They shower it with praise. That play and voice create a synergy that makes even better plays and the excitement grows even higher. I think the atmosphere of enjoying Oberlin's volleyball is reflected here as well.

When I first joined the club, I didn't have a clear goal for myself, and I was just going through the motions of playing volleyball every day. That's when I saw my senior, who was the reason I enrolled in the school, practicing desperately to get promoted to the first division league and achieving that dream. It was so cool, and I started to strongly feel that I wanted to play in matches and win, and that I wanted to be like my senior. Since then, I've been conscious of concentrating on every single ball during practice so that I can play in a way that conveys my fighting spirit to those around me.

The year after my admired senior teammates were promoted to the first division, we were defeated in the promotion/relegation match and sadly relegated to the second division. Since then, the volleyball club has been aiming to be promoted back to the first division. This year, as a fourth-year student, I ran for captain with the desire to change the team that is stagnating in the second division. I want to create an environment where all the unique and energetic players can work towards a common goal, where everyone can play freely regardless of their year in school, and where it's easy to express opinions and ideas. I'm working hard every day, constantly experimenting and trying new things.

This year's slogan, "Expressing Our Feelings: Action, Will, and Gratitude," was decided upon after discussions among my peers, with the aim of sharing our thoughts and striving to become a better team by expressing our actions, will, and gratitude. Believing that communication is essential to becoming a team that can express itself, we started using "individual goal cards." Before practice, we write down what we are trying to achieve on cards and post them on the whiteboard so everyone can see them. When others achieve their goals, we praise them, and when they are struggling, we offer advice. In feedback meetings, we also share opinions from positions that we don't usually interact with. This has increased communication within the team, and we are starting to see the challenges each person faces. This has created a cycle where individual skills and team strength improve, and we are gradually beginning to feel the effects.

Our goal this year is to win all our matches in Division 2 and be promoted to Division 1. With gratitude to everyone who supports us, we will fight with all our might in every single match as a united team.