Japan's women's volleyball team captain, Mayu Ishikawa, calmly analyzes the reasons for their defeat and looks ahead to the key match against China.

In the match held on the 20th during the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship in Hong Kong, the Japanese women's volleyball team fought a tough battle against the Italian women's team, ultimately losing 2-3 after five sets. Captain Mayu Ishikawa reflected on the match in a post-game interview.

Despite standing at only 1.74 meters, Mayu Ishikawa, wearing number 4, has earned the title of "genius attacker."

Before the match, the Italian women's team, undefeated with 17 points from six matches, topped the tournament standings, while the equally unbeaten Japanese team ranked fourth with 14 points from five victories. After this match, one team's unbeaten streak was bound to end. As a result, Japan faced its first defeat of the tournament. Having taken over as captain of the Japanese national team in May and being hailed as a "genius attacker," Ishikawa made her presence felt again, scoring a total of 25 points in this match, including 2 service aces and 1 block point.

Mayu Ishikawa has solid fundamental skills and is well-rounded in both offense and defense, showing increasingly mature performances in recent years. After the disappointment of the Tokyo Olympics, she followed in the footsteps of her brother, Yuki Ishikawa, captain of the Japanese men's volleyball team, to develop her career in Italy. Last year, she joined Novara (Igor Gorgonzola Novara) to continue her growth in higher-level competitions.

Captain Mayu Ishikawa, who scored 25 points, stated, "Small mistakes can determine the outcome of the match."

Reflecting on the intense match, Ishikawa calmly analyzed the reasons for the loss to the Italian team: "There were many challenging moments in today's match. Although there were points where I couldn't hold back and made mistakes, I also realized that even small errors can sway the outcome."

Additionally, when asked how to handle difficult plays, Ishikawa said, "You must score even in tough situations, so I maintain an attacking mindset. Regarding today's match, since the opponent's blocks were high, I focused on high-point attacks while also ensuring precision in my hits."

Mayu Ishikawa and her brother, Yuki Ishikawa, captain of the Japanese men's volleyball team.

After the fierce battle against Italy, Japan will face another significant challenge against China on the evening of the 21st, followed by a match against the Czech Republic on the 22nd. The Japan-China volleyball rivalry has always held special significance. Currently, Japan ranks 5th in the world with 351.55 points, only 8.03 points ahead of China in 6th place. The outcome of this match could affect their rankings, which is crucial for determining the title of "Asia's top team." In post-match interviews, Ishikawa repeatedly mentioned the upcoming Japan-China showdown, saying, "Even though we lost today, there will be more matches. I want to switch my focus to tomorrow's game against China," and added, "China has many tall players, and I will pay attention to that during the match," emphasizing the need to improve the accuracy of their attacks against China.