Genius setter Kimichika Haijima moves back to Fukui from Tokyo after an incident within his schools volleyball team forces him out. There, he is reunited with his childhood friend, Yuni Kuroba, a member of the Monshiro Middle School Boys Volleyball Team, who is unaware of his own talents. Haijima notices Kurobas abilities and is determined to form a new volleyball team with Kuroba as the teams ace. At the prefectural tournament, Kuroba crumbles under the pressure, which causes the Monshiro team to fall apart after losing. The loss also creates a rift between Haijima and Kuroba, leading the former to quit the team.