On Wednesday, July 9th and Monday, July 14th, our university's men's volleyball team played a friendly match against the New Zealand U20 men's volleyball team at our university.
Based on the memorandum of understanding signed with Fukuoka Prefecture in May this year regarding "establishing an international base for the promotion and dissemination of volleyball among the younger generation in the Asia-Oceania region," the prefecture hosted a training camp for the New Zealand U-20 men's and women's volleyball teams from Monday, July 7th to Wednesday, July 16th. As part of this, friendly matches were held with university volleyball teams in the prefecture, including our university, and teams affiliated with the V-League.
Before the match began, the New Zealand national team performed the traditional warrior dance, the Haka, to show their unity and pride as well as their respect for our university.
The players played with the same tension as in an official match, demonstrating impressive performances against the national team. After the match, the atmosphere changed to a relaxed one, with a social gathering where they communicated in English and with gestures, overcoming language and cultural barriers through sports.
Masanao Masumura, professor in the Department Department of Sport Science and Health Faculty of Human Sciences and head coach of the team, reflected on the experience, saying, "It was a very meaningful time for our students to experience the power and height of world volleyball, which they don't usually come into contact with. The New Zealand team also got to experience Japanese volleyball, and I believe this was a source of energy for all the volleyball players involved in this exchange."
[Student Department]
