Up 2-0, Japan had a golden opportunity to finish off Italy in the third set of the Olympic volleyball quarterfinal match but it couldn't capitalize.
Siblings Yuki and Mayu Ishikawa have starring roles for Japan's men's and women's volleyball teams. Yuji Nishida and his wife, Sarina Koga, do as well.
In Fukuoka, the Japan men's volleyball squad earned three wins in a five-day span, beating Iran, Germany and Slovenia but falling to world No 1 Poland.
Japan, which has the top record (8-0) in the international men's volleyball tournament, relies on Sekita to get the ball to its top attackers.
Captain Yuki Ishikawa leads the way with 27 points as Japan, the world's seventh-ranked team, improves to 7-0 in the Volleyball Nations League.
