He was the starting setter for the Karasuno Boys' Volleyball Club, but naturally stepped down from the starting lineup when the genius first-year Kageyama Tobio joined. In fact, Sugawara's tenure as a starter was very short, estimated to be only from the time the previous third-years retired until Kageyama arrived (between last year's Spring High and the regional qualifiers). Since he was a 1.5 to 2nd-string backup member last year, his number of official match appearances is surprisingly low. As a setter, he shows an excellent understanding of all hitters. As soon as he enters the court to sub for Kageyama, he high-fives his teammates and instantly raises the entire team's tension. He constantly observes the expressions of teammates like Tsukishima, who are less expressive, to gauge their condition. He was also the one who came up with the "Bring it" and "Give it" signs (translated as "Give it" and "Toss it" in the dubbed version) for Kageyama and Hinata's quick attack. Basically, he is utilized as a substitute setter or in a two-setter system, but he is also frequently used as a pinch server. Unlike Yamaguchi Tadashi, who uses a jump floater, Sugawara's serve isn't particularly powerful, but he is skilled at "targeted serves" that aim at specific players to shake them up. With these serves, he managed to pressure Kyotani Kentaro and the ace Iwaizumi Hajime during the Spring High match against Aoba Johsai. Looking at flashbacks from his first year, it seems he has been practicing targeted serves for a long time. His defense is also well-trained as a third-year; he has never made a receiving error while on the court. He has been shown connecting the ball to the setter with a stable posture and then participating in synchronized attacks. Although he has taken a ball to the face before, the fact that he reads the course and stands in position quickly suggests that all three third-years have excellent receiving skills. His primary job, setting, is not bad, but it's hard to call it exceptional. Unlike Kageyama, who is highly versatile as needed, Sugawara plays a more orthodox style of volleyball. Because of this, when he subs for Kageyama, his sets tend to get caught up to as time passes. Another difference is that while Kageyama makes unexpected sets based on the situation, Sugawara tends to use more reliable options. Consequently, many of his sets go to the ace. Of course, since Sugawara cannot use the Freak Quick, it is difficult for him to use sets that overwhelm the blockers with sheer information to catch them off guard.