I started playing volleyball in first grade. My family often had opportunities to watch sports, and after seeing Saori Kimura of the All Japan volleyball team on TV, I admired her cute appearance and powerful spikes. When I started, my position was left attacker, but since I wasn't very tall and liked receiving shots, I switched to libero when I entered high school. High school is one of the top schools in the country, with a strict focus on volleyball. I put my heart into practice, but I wanted to enjoy volleyball more at university, so I chose J. F. Oberlin University, which is known for its friendly atmosphere among the top division leagues, based on stories I heard from seniors I knew.
After joining, I feel that everyone gets along really well regardless of grade, and I've never felt like I didn't want to go to practice. Meeting my friends is my motivation for club activities, and even during tough training like running, we encourage each other, so every day is very fulfilling.

The libero position is a specialized role focused on receiving. No matter how good the setter or attacker is, if the libero doesn't make accurate passes, the team can't continue. The first pass I make is the starting point, the setter connects with the second pass, and the attacker hits the third. When the spike is successfully executed, I feel like I've fulfilled my role on the team.
Currently, we have completed the first six of the twelve matches in the Spring Division 1 league, and unfortunately, we have lost all of them. I don't think there is a difference in individual skill between us and the other Division 1 teams, but I feel that there is a difference in our ability to win close matches. There is always a flow to sports, and when things are going well, you need to ride that flow, and when things are going badly, you need to break it, but what we are lacking right now is the ability to control this flow. In order to bridge that gap, we must eliminate mistakes from practice onwards, always keep the game in mind as if it were the real thing, and be able to execute our play even in tough situations. The second half of the season is about to begin, and we will do our best to fight hard in the remaining six matches to stay in Division 1 and achieve good results in the Autumn League.

J. F. Oberlin University 's volleyball club focuses on building the players' bodies by having osteopathic clinic doctors care for their bodies and receiving dietary guidance from sports nutritionists. For meals, each grade has a "nutrition officer," and students take turns in charge. Each student sends photos of their daily meals to the nutritionist, who then receives advice from the nutritionist via Zoom and other means and provides feedback to the students. I became a nutritionist myself, and the nutritionist's dietary guidance was very interesting and a great learning experience.
I want to take a break from volleyball at university, and after graduation, work in supporting athletes and children in terms of nutrition. That's why what's important now is to give my all for the rest of my time as a volleyball player without regrets. Club activities at university are very fulfilling because I have friends I can talk to about anything, regardless of grade. I hope the juniors who will become the center of these activities will also enjoy volleyball and love it forever.