The Kurashiki Ablaze returning for another PVL appearance because...why not?
It seems Kurashiki Ablaze head coach Hideo Suzuki is all-in for another tour of duty in the PVL.
The Japanese head coach expressed his willingness to once again compete in the league if the PVL extends an invitation in the near future.
“If there's a chance [again] next year, we’ll participate,” Suzuki told reporters after the Ablaze took home the bronze medal in this year’s edition of the Invitational Conference.
Kurashiki made up for their abrupt exit in the season-ending tournament with a straight-set decision against the young Est Cola.
[ALSO READ: PVL: Kurashiki staves off pesky Est Cola challenge to snag bronze in Invitational stint]
Low Mei Cing once again flexed her offensive prowess with a team-high 14 points to lead the Ablaze, who also got big-time contributions from Saki Tanabe and main playmaker Kyoka Oshima.
Tanabe poured in 13 points to earn the Player of the Game honors while Oshima tallied 19 excellent sets with seven other Kurashiki players scoring.
As their title-retention bid crumbled after losing to the Cignal HD Spikers, the Japanese squad recalibrated their mindset quickly heading to the bronze medal clash.
"Our goal was to win the gold, but after the loss to Cignal, we reset our mindset and focused on finishing strong against Est Cola," Tanabe said through an interpreter.
And they did, and although it was a straight-set win, the Ablaze dug deep to secure another podium finish for the Japanese-based volleyball club.
“We’re happy to have won the bronze,” the 25-year-old hitter added.
Kurashiki ended the tournament with a 3-2 win loss slate while Est Cola finished with a 1-4 card.