Sono Musume, Musashi

A sports manga about a former middle school ace female volleyball player, Musashi Kaneko, who gets roped back into the sport by the high school volleyball team captain Ritsu Koga.

Although the story initially focuses on Musashi rediscovering her interest in volleyball, the later half of the series dives deep into her seniors who suffered abuse the hands of their previous violent coach. The trauma that each character carries afterwords is laid out well and handled with lots of nuance. I really enjoyed Ai Tanaka’s storytelling that dived into the psyche of these athletes as they brought their rivalries to a climactic final match.

I still think Shojo Fight is my favorite volleyball manga but this one is great as well. Also at 3 volumes it’s short and sweet!

~dakazu