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Japan Men: Toray Finish 3rd in Regular Season

On the final day of the regular season in the Japanese men’s V.League, the Toray Arrows and JT Thunders would decide who would finish third in the regular season and the Suntory Sunbirds and JTEKT Stings would determine fifth place.

The Thunders and Arrows started their matches at the same time. JT met FC Tokyo, while Toray met the Toyota Gosei Trefuerza. The Thunders had to win to give themselves a chance at third place, while Toray held the wins tiebreaker if the teams tied on points. The Thunders dominated FC Tokyo in blocking (+9), kills (+17) and aces (+4) in the three set match.  JT win 3-0 in a sweep which put them at 37 points, while Toray started the day at 35 points. Thomas Edgar for JT was incredible with 23 points (16k, 3b) with 4 aces included. His teammate Kenta Nakajima had 5 blocks for the Thunders.

Toray won the first set easily 25-13 against the Trefuerza, who played mainly their backups in the match. Toyota had clinched second place on Saturday and rested their stars. Toray also took the second set and it looked like it would end in three. However, Toyota fought back in the third and pushed the Arrows hard in the fourth set, which went to extra points. The Arrows came from behind late in the fourth to win 3-1 over Toyota. Trefuerza’s Shuzo Yamada led all scorers with 26, while Canadian Gavin Schmitt had 25 points (20k), including five blocks in the Toray win. Toray finishes in third place with 38 points and the Thunders in fourth at 37.

Moving over to the battle for fifth place, JTEKT Stings met the Panasonic Panthers. Panasonic had rested their stars on Saturday, but they were all back on Sunday, which meant that the Stings were in trouble. The Panthers three musketeers of Kunihiro Shimizu, Michal Kubiak and Tatsuya Fukuzawa were dominate in the 3-0 win.The Panthers were +14 in kills against the Stings. Shimizu led all scorers with 16 (15k, 1b), while Kubiak had 13, all kills. Bulgarian Matey Kaziyski had 12 in the loss for the Stings. The loss by the Stings guaranteed that Suntory would finish in fifth place.

Suntory met Sakai Blazers in a five set match. Both teams split the first two sets and Suntory won the third set 25-21. With the JTEKT result happening during the match, it was a match about pride with both teams regular season positions decided. Sakai took it upon themselves to win the fourth and fifth sets to win the match 3-2 to end their season on a high. Cuban Yadrian Escobar for Suntory led all scorers with 34 points (31k, 1b, 2a). Wallace Martins 21 (20k, 1a) and Shunsuke Chijiki 20 (15k, 1b, 4a) for the Blazers contributed greatly in the win. Their teammate Yoshihito Matsumoto was a wall for Sakai with 7 blocks in the match.

Here is how the standings will look at the beginning Final 6, that will begin on February 10, 2018:

Matchday 21 Results, January 28, 2018

Statistical Leaders for Regular Season

  • Best Scorer (Kills+Blocks+Aces): Thomas Edgar (JT Thunders) 645 points (568k, 40b, 37a)
  • Best Kill Percentage: Hideyuki Kuriyama (FC Tokyo) 58.9%
  • Best Blocker (per set): Kenji Shirawsawa (Panasonic Panthers) 0.76
  • Best Server (Efficiency Calculation): Matey Kaziyski (JTEKT Stings) 16.1%
  • Best Serve Receiver (Efficiency Calculation): Koichiro Koga (Toyota Gosei Trefuerza) 70.4%

Final Standings

 

With two matches left in the regular season for the men’s V.League, Toyota Gosei Trefuerza were looking to clinch second place in the regular season and four bonus points for the Final 6 playoffs against the JTEKT Stings. The Stings were in sixth place and looking to leap into fifth place with a win and a Suntory loss. Each set in this match was decided by two points, and the second and third sets both went to extra points. However, each of these three sets went to Toyota for a 3-0 sweep. With the win, Toyota will finish second in the regular season, while JTEKT is still in sixth place. Croatian Igor Omrcen for Toyota led all scorers with 22 points, all kills. Bulgarian Matey Kaziyski had 15 (13k, 2a) to lead the Stings in the loss.

With Toyota’s win, Toray Arrows were looking to maintain their third place as they faced the Panasonic Panthers. Panasonic who have already clinched the regular season title, only played two of their normal starters Tatsuya Fukuzawa and Akihiro Yamauchi in the match. With that said, it was not much of a match as the Arrows swept easily 3-0. Canadian Gavin Schmitt led all scorers with 20 points (16k, 2b, 2a) for Toray. Takahiro Imamura had 12 points (11k, 1b) for the Panthers to lead them in the loss. Toray keeps third place, but it could finish in fourth place on Sunday.

JT Thunders are still within striking distance of the Arrows as they met the Suntory Sunbirds. Suntory win a win would clinch at fifth place and could still catch the Thunders. A Thunders win would clinch at least fourth place with the possibility for third with some help on Sunday. The Thunders used their Australian opposite Thomas Edgar to win this match. Edgar was great with 40 points, 38 of which were kills (1b, 1a). Other than the tight second set win for Suntory, this was a comfortable win for the Thunders. Suntory’s Cuban Yadrian Escobar tried to keep pace with Edgar but with “only” 29 (26k, 3b). The Thunders were 14 points better in spiking (+7 kills and -7 errors), which was essentially to difference in the match. JT stay in fourth and have a chance to finish third with a win and a Toray loss.

Sakai Blazers met FC Tokyo in a battle of the bottom of the table. Neither team can move from their position before the end of the regular season. Sakai took advantage of their spiking (+9 kills) and blocking (+7 blocks) against FC Tokyo to sweep the match 3-0. Brazilian Wallace Martins of Sakai led all scorers with 17 points (14k, 2b, 1a) in the win.

Final 6 Playoff Position Scenarios:

Toray Arrows

JT Thunders

  • 3rd Place
    • JT win AND Toray loss in less than 5 sets
    • Toray has wins tiebreaker over JT, so JT must out point Toray
  • 4th Place
    • JT loss OR Toray win

Suntory Sunbirds

  • 5th Place
    • Suntory win OR
    • Suntory loss in 5 sets AND JTEKT win in 5 sets
    • Suntory would out point JTEKT 28-27
  • 6th Place
    • Suntory loss AND JTEKT win in less than 5 sets OR
    • Suntory loss in less than 5 sets AND JTEKT win in 5 sets
    • JTEKT would have tiebreaker on wins 9-8, if tied on points

JTEKT Stings

  • 5th Place
    • JTEKT win in less than 5 sets AND Suntory loss OR
    • JTEKT win in 5 sets AND Suntory loss in less than 5 sets
    • JTEKT would have tiebreaker on wins 9-8, if tied on points
  • 6th Place
    • Suntory win OR
    • JTEKT win in 5 sets AND Suntory Loss in 5 sets
    • Suntory would out points JTEKT 28-27

Results for Matchday 20, January 27, 2018

Results for Matchday 21, January 28, 2018

End of Regular Season

With only one or two games left in the regular season for the teams in the Japanese women’s V.League, Ageo Medics faced a big mountain to climb against the undefeated Hisamitsu Springs. A win by Ageo would put them ahead of Toray and NEC, but Toray and NEC would still have a match to play on Sunday, while Ageo would be finished for the regular season. Hisamtisu got out to early leads in the first and second sets, that Ageo would fight back to within a point before the Springs kicked it into overdrive. In the third set, Ageo couldn’t get close and the Springs swept Ageo 3-0 to end their playoff hopes. Ageo was stopped by the block of Hisamitsu 9-1 in the match. Let alone the offensive balance by the Springs. Rika Nomoto led all scorers with 19 (15k, 3b, 1a). Teammates Yukii Ishii and American Foluke Akinradewo each contributed 15 (14k, 1b) and 13 (10k, 3b) in the win. Ageo forced the offense through Kenia Carcaces with 16 kills of her 17 points (1a) in the loss. Hisamitsu goes for the perfect regular season on Sunday against Toray.

After that, Denso Airybees and Toyota Auto Body Queenseis were locked in a battle for 3rd place and 3 bonus points in the Final 6 playoffs. The Queenseis played first against NEC. NEC had clinched their playoff spot when Ageo lost to Hisamitsu, which was at the same time as their match. Toyota eked out an extra point win in the first set 28-26. NEC came back in the second in a dominant performance 11-3 run to finish the set. Toyota jumped on the Red Rockets early to win the third. In the fourth set, Toyota got a small gap, and just kept slowly extending it to win the set and the match 3-1. Neriman Ozsoy led all scorers with 30 points (26k, 3b, 1a) for the Queenseis. Momoka Oda of Toyota also gave support with 15 (13k, 2a). NEC was fairly balanced in scoring with Mizuki Yanagita leading the Red Rockets with 18 (15k, 2b, 1a). NEC was 7 points worse at the service line (-2 aces and +5 errors), which was the scoring difference in the match. With the win the Queenseis reached 32 points and 11 wins. Denso could match that total, but would the sets ratio be in their favor?

The Airybees faced JT Marvelous. JT had nothing to play for other than pride as second place had been clinched already. However both the first and second sets were decided by the minimum two points, one for each team. Denso went on a 7-1 run to end the third set to take a 2-1 set lead. A big run at the beginning of the fourth set gave an 8-point lead to the Airybees and they coasted to the win 3-1. Brankica Mihajlovic of JT led all scorers with 26 points. This match was a blockfest by four players, each over four blocks in the match. JT’s Aika Akutagawa with 5, Denso’s Mizuho Ishida with 6, Christiane Furst and Rei Kudo each with 4. Nanaka Sakamoto led the Airybees with 23 (20k, 2b, 1a) in the win. With the win Denso, matched Toyota on points with 32 and wins with 11. However, with the 3-1 set win for both teams, the Queenseis win the sets ratio by .001 (1.025 to 1.024) and finish the regular season in third place. If Denso had swept 3-0, they would have finished in third place. Do not forget that if teams finish tied in the Final 6, the team finishing better in the regular season wins the tiebreaker.

Lastly, Hitachi Rivale met Toray Arrows. Hitachi was playing their final game of the year and were looking to end with a win. A Toray win would give them a gap over NEC for fifth place and one bonus point for the Final 6. Other than a tight loss in the second set, this was a comfortable 3-1 win for Rivale. Hisae Watanabe led all scorers with 22 points for Hitachi. American Kadie Rolfzen had 18 (5k, 3b) to lead the Arrows in the loss. Toray is still ahead of NEC for fifth place with one more win than the Red Rockets (8-7), with one match to play.

Final 6 Playoff Position Scenarios:

Toray Arrows

  • 5th Place
    • Toray win in less than 5 sets OR
    • Toray win in 5 sets AND NEC win OR loss in 5 sets OR
    • NEC loss in less than 5 sets
    • Toray has wins tiebreaker if tied on points
  • 6th Place
    • Toray loss in less than 5 sets AND NEC win OR
    • Toray loss in 5 sets AND NEC win OR
    • Toray win in 5 sets AND NEC win in less than 5 sets

NEC Red Rockets

  • 5th Place
    • NEC win AND Toray loss in less than 5 sets OR
    • NEC win AND Toray loss in 5 sets OR
    • NEC win in less than 5 sets AND Toray win in 5 sets
  • 6th Place
    • Toray win in less than 5 sets OR
    • Toray win in 5 sets AND NEC win OR loss in 5 sets OR
    • NEC loss in less than 5 sets
    • Toray has wins tiebreaker if tied on points

Results for January 27, 2018

Ageo, Denso, Hitachi & Toyota have finished their regular seasons

Schedule for January 28, 2018

End of Regular Season

With only two games on Sunday, the Ageo Medics and NEC Red Rockets match was the one to watch as it was a battle of the sixth and seventh place teams. If Ageo lost, they would be eliminated from the playoffs, while an Ageo win would keep them alive. NEC got out early and dominated the first set 25-12. It continued the onslaught in the second 25-20. However, Ageo did not cave in and more surprisingly, they did it without their opposite Kenia Carcaces, who was just off all night long. Ageo won the third set to stay alive, but the fourth set was a marathon at 31-29, which also went to Ageo. The Medics went on to take the fifth set as well comfortably 15-11 to win the match 3-2. NEC should have won this match easily after the first two sets, but Ageo played as a team the rest of the match to win. Ageo had six players reach 10 points or more in the match to show. Miyuki Horie led Ageo with 16. Teammate Yuko Maruyama was a wall with 5 blocks in her 11 points (6k).  Even their setter Koyomi Tominaga had 8 (6k, 2b). NEC’s Sarina Koga led all scorers with 25 points (21k, 2b, 2a). Ageo still in seventh place after the win, but they are within two points of Toray and NEC. However, Toray and NEC have two more matches to play, while Ageo only has one and faces Hisamitsu in their final match.

In the other match of the day Toyota Auto Body Queenseis dominated Hitachi Rivale in three sets. Neriman Ozsoy with 19 points led all scorers. Ozsoy and Erika Araki dominated the block game too with three blocks each in the win. Araki had 12 points (7k, 2a) for the Queenseis. Hisae Watanabe for Hitachi had 17 (16k, 1a) in loss. Toyota with the win is now tied with Denso Airybees on points and wins, but the sets ratio tiebreaker is .001 difference, which puts Denso in third place. Toyota could overtake Denso, with a Denso win in 5 sets or a Denso loss.

Results from January 21, 2018

Hisamitsu, JT, NEC and Toray have played 19 matches, all others have played 20

Schedule for January 27, 2018

With three matches left in the regular season, Sakai Blazers were in a must win position against Toyota Gosei Trefuerza. A loss by the Blazers would all but put them out of the playoffs. If JTEKT and Suntory won their matches, then the Blazers would be eliminated. Toyota were trying to keep their second place standing with a win. Sakai fought hard in the first set, but the Trefuerza won it 25-23. The second set was not as close and the third set was even worse for the Blazers as Toyota swept them match 3-0. Igor Omrcen led all scorers with 22 (21k, 1b) for Toyota, while Wallace Martins had 21 for Sakai. Hirotaka Kon for Toyota had 5 blocks to go with his 7 kills for 12 points. Toyota is solidly in second with 38 points. Sakai needed a loss by JEKT to stay alive.

JTEKT Stings faced the third place Toray Arrows. JTEKT with a win would eliminate Sakai, while a loss would give Sakai a chance to overtake the Stings. Toray was trying to keep pace with Toyota and a win would do that. JTEKT dominated in the first set and won an extra point second set to take a 2-0 sets lead. One more set would clinch their playoff berth. Toray said not so fast to win the third 25-21. Late in the fourth set, JEKT got a two point lead, which they held onto to win the set and the match 3-1. Sakai is eliminated from the playoffs and JTEKT are going to be in the Final 6. High schooler Yuji Nishida had a great match with 32 points (26k, 2b, 4a) for the Stings and it is not often that you can say you outscored Canadian scoring machine Gavin Schmitt and won. Schmitt had 25 points (all kills) in the loss. Matey Kaziyski had 20 points (14k, 1b), 5 of which were aces for JTEKT, while Yamato Fushimi for Toray had 5 blocks as part of his 12 points (6k, 1a). Even with the results JTEKT are still in sixth place, while Toray is still in third place.

Suntory Sunbirds met the bottom dwellers FC Tokyo. Suntory clinched their playoff berth when Sakai lost, so they were looking to stay ahead of the Stings to get some bonus points for their finish in the regular season. Teams are given bonus points based on their finish in the regular season 5 for first on down to 1 for fifth, while sixth does not receive any bonus points. Both teams split the first two sets. Suntory took a late lead to win the third set, but FC Tokyo won the fourth set in extra points. Suntory got out to an early lead in the fifth set and did not let up winning it 15-8 and the match 3-2. Suntory’s Yadrian Escobar was a wall with 5 blocks and a cannon at the service line with 5 aces. He also added 33 kills for a total of 43 points. His teammate Yoshifumi Suzuki had 6 blocks as part of his 13 points (7k) in the win. Kenta Suzuki (no relation to Yoshifumi) for FC Tokyo had 25 points (22k, 1b, 2a) in the loss.

Panasonic Panthers met JT Thunders in a future Final 6 matchup. Panasonic won the first two set, but the Thunders worked their way back to even the match at 2 sets all. The Panthers took the fifth set 15-13 and the match 3-2. The Thunders are just one point behind Toray for third place. Panasonic has already clinched the regular season title, so any additional win over future opponents will be welcomed from a psychological standpoint. Australian Thomas Edgar led all scorers with 39 points (36k, 2b, 1a) for JT. Takahiko Imamura replaced Kunihiro Shimizu in the starting lineup and finished with 25 points (20k, 4, 1a) in the win for Panasonic.

Results for Matchday 19, January 21, 2018

Schedule for Matchday 20, January 27, 2018

With four matches left in the regular season and two spots in the playoffs still available, Panasonic had a chance to clinch the regular season title against their Osaka rivals Sakai Blazers. The Blazers are in seventh place and a win would keep them in the hunt for the playoffs. Both teams split the first two sets, Sakai took a tight third set 25-23 to take a 2-1 set lead. Panasonic needed to win the fourth set to clinch the regular season title by earning a point in the match. The Panthers got a lead late and extended it to take the set 25-21 to force a deciding fifth set. Sakai was desperate to stay alive in the playoff chase and came back at 14-12 with two straight points to tie at 14 all. Panasonic though took advantage of a shanked pass on serve to end to the set 18-16 and win the match 3-2. First place in regular season and five bonus points for the Final 6 playoffs for the Panthers with the win. Sakai with the single point gained something, but it could have been so much more for them. Brazilian Wallace Martins for the Blazers had 28 points (25k, 2b, 1a) to lead all scorers. Kunihiro Shimizu led the Panthers with 25 (24k, 1b) and Michal Kubiak followed with 19 (15k, 3b, 1a) in the win.

With the Blazers loss, JTEKT Stings faced Suntory Sunbirds with a chance to extend their sixth place lead (1 point) over Sakai.  Suntory dominated the first set, 25-14 and the Stings knew that they had to fight back. JTEKT swept the next three sets to win the match 3-1. High schooler Yuji Nishida has been a revelation for the Stings with 28 points (25k, 1b, 2a) on Saturday to lead all scorers.  His teammate Bulgarian Matey Kaziyski must love having him because he is now not the focus of the offense. Kaziyski had 21 (18k, 3a) in the win. Cuban Yadrian Escobar for the Sunbirds had 22 (19k, 2b, 1a) in the loss. Both teams are tied with 7 wins, but Suntory is fifth with 25 points, while JTEKT only has 22. JTEKT is now four points and two wins ahead of Sakai for the final playoff position.

Toray Arrows met FC Tokyo and were trying to overtake Toyota Gosei Trefuerza for second place. Toray won the blocking and serving battles in the match. FC Tokyo also put the ball out of play more when spiking which gave the match 3-1 to the Arrows. Kenta Suzuki for FC Tokyo led all scorers with 19 points (18k, 1b). Toray’s Yuji Suzuki led his team with 11 (10k, 1a).

The biggest battle of the weekend was Toyota Gosei Trefuerza against JT Thunders. The foreign spiking machines of Igor Omrcen (Toyota) and Thomas Edgar (JT) did not disappoint. Both players reached over 40 points, 42 (39k, 1b, 2a) for Omrcen and 43 (41k, 2a) for Edgar, essentially a draw between them. Their 85 combined points are the most for two opponents in a match in the world this season. Even the match was essentially a draw going five sets, with three sets going extra points, including a 40 minute long second set at 34-32 to Toyota. Trefuerza get the last two points of the match to take the fifth set 17-15 and the match 3-2. The win keeps Toyota in second place with three matches to play. The loss for the Thunders leaves them solidly in fourth place. Ryota Denta had more points combined serving and blocking 9 (6b, 3a) for the Trefuerza than from spiking 7 for 16 total points.

Results from Matchday 18, January 20, 2018

Schedule for Matchday 19, January 21, 2018

 

On Saturday, there were three games played in the Japanese Women’s V.League. Toyota Auto Body Queenseis faced the Denso Airybees. Toyota with a win would clinch their berth in the Final 6 playoffs, while a win for Denso would all but give them 3rd place in the regular season and three bonus points for the Final 6 playoffs. The Queenseis dominated the first set 25-15 to take a 1-0 set lead. The second set was much closer, but Toyota scored the final two points of the set to win it 25-22. In the third set, Toyota got out to an early lead and kept it to win the set 25-21 and the match 3-0. Denso may be limping in to the playoffs instead of surging like the Queenseis who have won three-in-a-row. Toyota normally is focused on getting Neriman Ozsoy the ball, but today it was a balanced offense for them. Ozsoy, Saori Takahashi and Momoka Oda all with double digit kills giving a 10 point advantage in spikes. Ozsoy finished with 19 (16k, 2b, 1a), Takahashi 16 (13k, 1b, 2a) and Oda 12 in the win. Denso one had one player reach double figures in kills and that was Mizuho Ishida with 10 and she finished with 12 points (1b, 1a). Yurie Nabeya had a bad day with only 3 kills on 18 attempts for the Airybees. Toyota moved into fourth place with the win and clinched their berth in the Final 6.

Toray Arrows met the NEC Red Rockets. A win by the Arrows would clinch their spot in the Final 6, while NEC were looking to stay ahead of the Ageo Medics. Ageo was even on wins, but NEC is ahead on points with two more matches to play than does Ageo. NEC were absolutely dominant in the first two sets and had a 2-0 set lead. The third set was closer but a late lead was held by NEC to win the set and match 3-0. NEC had great balance on offense with the middles with 5 and 11 kills and the outside hitters at 8, 9 and 11 kills. Haruyo Shimamura and Sarina Koga were tied for the leading scorer in match with 13 points, both 11 kills and 2 blocks. American Kadie Rolfzen was the leading score for Toray with 12 points (11k, 1b), while Kana Ono’s 5 blocks tried their best to keep Toray in the match. NEC faces Ageo on Sunday in a possible playoff deciding match. A win by NEC will clinch their berth in the Final 6 and eliminate Ageo from the playoffs. A NEC loss in three or four sets would possibly put Ageo in front of NEC. Ageo would only have one match left, while NEC would have two matches remaining.

Hitachi Rivale who have been eliminated from the playoffs and second place JT Marvelous met at Wing Arena Kariya. Both teams really had only pride to play for as JT is locked in second place and Hitachi will finish last in the regular season. JT should have won this match easily, but Hitachi took a 2-1 set lead after winning the second and third sets. Hitachi nearly took the match in the fourth, but JT won in extra points 27-25 to force a fifth set. With the match tied at 10-10 in the fifth set, Rivale went on a 5-2 run to end the match and win the set 15-12 and match 3-2. The Marvelous were dominant at the net with +13 points in spiking and +4 in blocking. But the service line is what killed them, 25 service errors or one whole set’s worth of points. Serbian Brankica Mihaljovic for JT had 30 points (28k, 2b) to lead all scorers in the match. Her teammate Aika Akutagawa had 19 points on 14 kills and 5 blocks, but 7 service errors. For Hitachi Miwako Osanai led in scoring with 18 points (17k, 1b), and American Cursty Jackson was a wall with 6 blocks and 11 kills for 17 points.

Results from January 20, 2018

NEC has played 18 matches, Denso has played 20 and all others 19

Schedule for January 21, 2018

 

This weekend was a light one for the Japanese Men’s V.League with only four matches.

Suntory Sunbirds and Toray Arrows faced off on a Friday night in Tokyo. Suntory got out to early leads in each of the three sets and Toray was never able to catch up in a 3-0 sweep for the Sunbirds. Cuban Yadrian Escobar had 13 points (10k, 1b, 2a) to lead the Sunbirds, while Takahiro Tozaki had 13 (12k, 1b) for Toray. Canadian Gavin Schmitt was not listed on Toray’s roster for the match. With the win Suntory extends their points gap over JTEKT and Sakai for fifth place.

In the big match of the week, the Panasonic Panthers faced Toyota Gosei Trefuerza in a battle of first and second place. Both teams had split the first two meetings in the season. A Panasonic win would clinch the regular season title, while a Toyota win would postpone their celebration by a week. Two of the sets in the match were extra point sets, and were split between the two teams. However in the second and fourth sets, Trefuerza dominated 25-17 and 25-16, which gave them the match 3-1 over the Panthers. Croatian Igor Omrcen led all scorers with 30 points (26k, 1b, 3a) for Toyota.  His teammate Takuya Takamatsu also contributed 19 (16k, 2b, 1a) in the win. Kunihiro Shimizu had 27 (22k, 3b, 2a) for the Panthers in the loss. Michal Kubiak only played in the first two sets for Panasonic. The win for Toyota solidified their second place position with four matches left. Panasonic with one point will clinch the regular season title as Toyota could only reach a maximum of 45 points. Toyota would need Panasonic to lose out and then Trefuerza would have to win all of their matches in 3 or 4 sets to tie on points, but overtake Panasonic on wins (16-15). Highly unlikely for that to happen.

JT Thunders faced the Sakai Blazers in Wakayama on Saturday. JT with a win would clinch a berth in the Final 6, while a Blazers win would move them into the Final 6, if JTEKT lost. JT used Australian Thomas Edgar‘s 29 kills to get out to leads in each of the three sets, and Sakai had to catch up in each set. In the third set, Sakai did tie it at 21-21 each, but they were outscored 4-2 to end the match in a sweep 3-0 for the Thunders. Brazilian Wallace Martins had 19 in the loss for Sakai. The Thunders win tied them on points with Toray, but still one win behind (11-10) with four matches left. Sakai is still on the outside looking in at the Final 6 in seventh place.

FC Tokyo met the JTEKT Stings in Tokyo. A JTEKT win would give them a bigger gap over Sakai in the battle for the last spot in the Final 6. FC Tokyo could play a spoiler with a win. Tokyo won the first two sets which were tight. JTEKT comfortably took the third set in a battle to at least get some points from a winnable match. However Tokyo got out to an early lead and extended it to win the match 3-1 in an upset. FC Tokyo had a really balanced day on offense with only one starter under a .500 hitting percentage. Dai Tetsuka had 18 kills, and Bosnian Milan Pepic 17 points (15k, 2b) to lead Tokyo in the win. For JTEKT Yuji Nishida had 30 (29k, 1) in the loss. Matey Kaziyski was off with 8 kills and 5 errors on 27 swings for the Stings. JTEKT with the loss is still in sixth place, but a Sakai win and a JTEKT loss would have them out of the playoffs.

Results from Matchday 17, January 12-13, 2018

Schedule for Matchday 18, January 20, 2018
Toray Arrows vs. FC Tokyo
JTEKT Stings vs. Suntory Sunbirds
Sakai Blazers vs. Panasonic Panthers
Toyota Gosei Trefuerza vs. JT Thunders

An odd weekend in the Japanese women’s league, with some teams playing twice, others once and NEC not playing at all.

The biggest match of the weekend was first place Hisamitsu Springs facing second place JT Marvelous on Saturday. Could JT upset Hisamitsu to end their unbeaten streak, or would the Springs clinch the regular season title with a win? The answer by Hisamitsu to JT was, “You will not beat us tonight.” The Springs swept the Marvelous 3-0 convincingly. Rika Nomoto with 16 kills (19 points with 3 blocks), Foluke Akinradewo with 15 kills (17 points with 2 blocks) and Yuki Ishii with 13 kills (14 points with 1 block) provided the offensive balance for the Springs. JT forced the ball through Brankica Mihajlovic, but her 19 kills were hurt with 8 hitting errors. No other JT player had double figures in spikes. It is tough for any team to compete with Hisamitsu without your best hitter making kills. Hisamitsu has clinched the regular season title with the win.

On Saturday Denso Airybees met Toray Arrows in a battle for third place. A Toray win would possibly have them move into third place (depending on if they got 3 or 2 points), while Denso would solidify their third place with a win. Both teams split the first two sets, while a dominant third set by Toray gave them a great chance to take the match. However, Denso had a three point lead that really did not shrink in the fourth set to take the match to five sets. In the fifth set, Denso had a 12-9 after a block and looked to end the match. A service error by Denso and an unreturnable serve brought that match back to a one-point deficit. After swapping points, and ace by Toray tied the set at 13. A Denso kill off the block gave them match point at 14-13. Mari Horikawa killed off the block, and onto extra points. The teams swapped points until a block by Toray gave them match point at 17-16. Denso got a kill match the score at 17. A Nabeya hitting error gave Toray another chance at 18-17, but the Arrows could not keep the ball in play, 18 all. The teams swapped points, and a challenge review by Toray got it to 20-20, which would have gave Denso the match at that time. A kill by Christiane Furst gave Denso the lead 21-20. Toray shanked a serve which forced Mari Horikawa to be blocked for Denso to win the set 22-20. A heartbreaking loss for Toray as they had outscored Denso by seven points in the match. American Kadie Rolfzen with 38 (31k, 5b, 2a) and Mari Horikawa with 27 (25k, 1b, 1a) for the Arrows performed well, but the needed a little more help in the loss. Yuri Nabeya led Denso with 22 points (19k, 2b, 1a). Denso was outkilled, outblocked and outaced by Toray by 20 points. However the Airybees made fewer hitting errors (4) and fewer service errors (9), which kept them in the match. Denso with the win gave them a five point gap over Toray in the battle for third place. Tje win also clinched Denso a spot in the Final 6.

Toyota Auto Body Queenseis faced Ageo Medics in a battle of foreigner opposites. Cuban Kenia Carcaces for Ageo and Neriman Ozsoy for Toyota. The Queenseis took the first two sets, but Ageo won a tight third set to make the match 2-1 Toyota. The fourth set was a complete blow out by Ageo 25-9 to force a fifth set. Ageo had a 7-2 lead in the fifth set, but the Queenseis had a 7-0 run to come back with a 9-7 lead. Ageo eventually tied the set at 10. Ageo had a 14-13 lead after a block. A Carcaces spike off the antenna tied the match at 14. A Queenseis block on Carcaces made it 15-14 and another block on Carcaces gave the set to Toyota 16-14 and match 3-2. Carcaces had 39 points (38k, 1a) for Ageo. She did get help from Kyoko Aoyagi 12 points (8k, 2b, 2a) and Yuki Araki 11 points (8k, 3b) in the loss. Toyota’s Neriman had a lower point score with 26, but with 4 blocks she made up on the defensive end of the net. Erika Araki was her dominant blocking self with 6 blocks for Toyota. Momoka Oda with 14 (12k, 2b) and Saori Takahashi 20 (15k, 2b, 3a) kept Toyota in the match. Ageo will regret the loss after outscoring the Queenseis by six. Toyota moves into a tie on wins with Toray, but just one point behind the Arrows.

On Sunday, Hisamitsu dominated Denso 3-0 as the Airybees could not get around the blocks of Akinradweo (5 blocks) and Risa Shinnabe (4 blocks). Yuka Imamura for Hisamitsu had 16 points in the win to give the Springs a 19-0 record. Two matches left in the regular season to be perfect. Denso’s loss gave second place in the regular season to JT Marvelous as they are nine points behind with only two matches to play.

Ageo comfortably swept 3-0 Hitachi Rivale to end Hitachi’s playoff chances. Kenia Carcaces led all scorers with 24 points (22k, 2b). Ageo matches NEC on wins at six and points at 20, but NEC still has four matches to play. While Ageo only has two matches left. Right now they are on the outside looking in at the Final 6.

Results for January 13-14, 2018
Jan. 13 Hisamitsu Springs 3-0 JT Marvelous (25-18, 25-22, 25-21)
Jan. 13 Denso Airybees 3-2 Toray Arrows (25-21, 22-25, 11-25, 25-21, 22-20)
Jan. 13 Toyota Auto Body Queenseis 3-2 Ageo Medics (25-21, 25-19, 23-25, 9-25, 16-14)
Jan. 14 Hisamitsu Springs 3-0 Denso Airybees (25-19, 25-16, 25-17)
Jan. 14 Ageo Medics 3-0 Hitachi Rivale (25-22, 25-22, 25-19)

NEC has played 17, Hitachi, JT, Toray & Toyota have played 18, Denso & Hisamitsu have played 19

Schedule for January 20-21, 2018
Jan. 20 NEC Red Rockets vs. Toray Arrows
Jan. 20 Hitachi Rivale vs. JT Marvelous
Jan. 20 Toyota Auto Body Queenseis vs. Denso Airybees
Jan. 21 NEC Red Rockets vs. Ageo Medics
Jan. 21 Toyota Auto Body Queenseis vs. Hitachi Rivale

On December 27th, 2017, the South Korean Men’s V-League between Suwon KEPCO Vixtorm and Seoul Woori Card Wibee turned out to be a match for the record books. This match was the first time that three players had reached 30 points or more.

Since volleyball went to the rally scoring era in 1999, I can find only four circumstances of teammates in the men’s game that have scored over 30 points each.

On the women’s side, I know of only two matches in which teammates scored more than 30 points and both happened days apart at the 2012 London Olympics

There are numerous matches where two opponents scored over 30 points for both sexes.

In the South Korean men’s league, only one foreigner is allowed per team and they are usually played as the opposite. The foreign opposites often are the focus of the team’s offense. Of the top 12 highest scoring matches in the world, seven have been played in the South Korean league.

Suwon KEPCO Vixtorm’s foreigner is Brazilian Felipe Airton Bandero, who has previously in Italy and Poland, and in his first season with KEPCO. While Seoul Woori Card Wibee’s foreigner is Hungarian Krisztian Padar, who played previously for Noliko Maaseik in Belgium. Padar has been with Seoul since the 2016-2017 season. In the match, Padar’s Wibee teammate Hong-Suk Choi also gave a nearly career best performance.

Felipe (as the South Korean’s call him) had 33 points in the 3-2 (14-25, 25-15, 20-25, 25-22, 17-15) match win for the Vixtorm. Felipe had 31 kills (on 57 swings), 1 block and 1 ace in the match and named the match MVP.

Courtesy SBS TV and KOVO

Padar matched Felipe with 33 points, also with 31 kills (also on 57 swings), 1 block and 1 ace. However, the Wibee’s Choi was really efficient with 26 kills (on 43 swings), 4 blocks and 1 ace for 31 points. Padar and Choi dominated Wibee’s offense so much that the rest of the team only scored 14 points (total of 78 offensive points with Padar and Choi) in a five-set match. Whereas Felipe’s teammates contributed 36 points (total of 69 points with Felipe) and used more mistakes by Wibee to win the match.

I don’t know if we will ever see this happen again due to the nature of higher level leagues with offenses that spread the ball around, but the South Korean league is really there with setting focused on an individual player, like Felipe, Padar and Choi in this case.

 

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