Going into matchday 13, the Hisamitsu Springs could clinch a berth in the Final 6 win a win and a loss by the Ageo Medics. Hisamitsu faced the Toyota Auto Body Queenseis who did not have Erika Araki on the squad list for the match. Araki had played the entire match on Saturday, so it is a little odd to not play against the best team in the league. After a tight first set won by the Springs 25-22, Hisamitsu just put their food down and said, “This is our match! Not yours!” The Springs swept 3-0, keeping them perfect through 13 matches. The five hitting members of the Springs lineup each had at least 7 kills, for a great balance that few teams can match. Yuki Ishii had 14 points (13k, 1a), while American Foluke Akinradewo had 13 (7k, 3b, 3a) for the Springs. Neriman Ozsoy led all scorers with 19 (18k, 1b) for the Queenseis.
The Toray Arrows were looking to bounce back from their loss to NEC on Saturday, while Denso were wanting to end their two-match losing streak. Both teams split the first two sets, but the Arrows took the third in a close set 25-22. The fourth set was sheer dominance by Toray. Denso took an early time out down 7-3. They took their final time out at 17-6. Denso did not reach double digits in the set losing 25-9 as Toray won the match 3-1. The Arrows won the battle on both sides of the net with 21 points (+13 kills (56-43) and -8 errors (5-13)) and 6 more blocks (16-10). Nanami Inoue was a wall for the Arrows with 8 blocks. Mari Horikawa (19k, 1b) and Kadie Rolfzen (15k, 3b, 2a) each had 20 in the win for the Arrows. Aya Horie for Denso had 14 (12k, 1b, 1a) off the bench, while German Christiane Furst had 6 blocks as part of 12 (4k, 1a) for the Airybees. Toray moved up to 3rd place with the win, while Denso fell to 6th place.
The NEC Red Rockets met Hitachi Rivale for the second time in the season. Hitachi did not look like they belonged in the match, even after winning the second set. Hitachi was outscored by 22 points, including a set win, ouch. NEC won the spiking battle by 18 points (+14 kills (60-46) and -4 errors (6-10)), which basically won the match. Sarina Koga led all scorers with 19 points (17k, 2a) for the Red Rockets. Nanami Hirose also contributed 18 (16k, 2b) for the Rockets. Miwako Osanai was the focal point for Hitachi in the loss with 16 kills. NEC climbed to 5th place with the win.
JT Marvelous tried to keep pace with the Springs against Ageo Medics. Ageo were looking to break five-match losing streak. JT swept the match 3-0, due to their spiking at the net. The Marvelous were +19 against Ageo (+9 kills (47-38) and -10 errors (4-14). Serbian Brankica Mihajlovic for JT led all scorers with 21 points (18k, 1b, 2a). Mizuki Tanaka with 17 (14k, 2b, 1a) and Aika Akutagawa with 13 (9k, 4b) were also main contributors for the Marvelous. Cuban Kenia Carcaces for Ageo was the only bright spot with 20 points (18k, 2b) but she also had 7 hitting errors in the loss. JT maintained their 2nd position with the win.
Results for Matchday 13, December 3, 2017
Hisamitsu Springs 3-0 Toyota Auto Body Queenseis (25-22, 25-20, 25-13)
Toray Arrows 3-1 Denso Airybees (25-17, 23-25, 25-22, 25-9)
NEC Red Rockets 3-1 Hitachi Rivale (25-15. 21-25, 25-16, 25-18)
JT Marvelous 3-0 Ageo Medics (25-16, 25-21, 25-18)
Schedule for Matchday 14, December 9, 2017
NEC Red Rockets vs. Denso Airybees
Ageo Medics vs. Hitachi Rivale
Hisamitsu Springs vs. Toray Arrows
JT Marvelous vs. Toyota Auto Body Queenseis
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