For the fifth year in a row, Hisamitsu Springs took the Empress’s Cup, sweeping Hitachi Rivale 3-0 (25-16, 25-18, 25-17) in the finals.
The event that took place in Tokyo ended on Sunday evening. The win comes just before Hisamitsu Springs is set to host the 2017 FIVB Women’s Club World Championship in Kobe, May 8-14.
There is only one other team that has qualified for the event in May. The reigning Asian champions, NEC Red Rockets of Nawasaki, were taken out by Hisamitsu Springs in the semis of the Empress Cup.
Along with Hisamitsu Springs and NEC Red Rockets, the event will bring in the continental champions of Europe and South America, as well as four wild cards set to be determined.
On the men’s side of the Empress Cup, a thrilling finals match took place as Toray Arrows defeated Toyoda Gosei Trefuerza 3-2 (25-22, 25-20, 21-25, 24-26, 22-20). The Toray Arrows claimed their third title in the history of the event with the win and their first since 2013.
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