Osaka Bluteon qualified straight to the semifinals after finishing regular season runners-up on a 38-6 win-loss ratio and 109 points, second to Suntory Sunbirds Osaka, who topped the standings on a 40-4 win-loss ratio and 117 points. Bluteon overcame their semifinal opponents, third-placed JTEKT Stings Aichi, with 3-0 and 3-1 victories at home, extending their winning streak to 16 matches in a row, to set up an Osaka derby with Suntory Sunbirds for the final playoff at the Yokohama Arena.
Suntory lived up to their status of favorites in the first match of the series on Friday, when they produced a 3-1 (26-24, 22-25, 25-16, 25-23) win in front of well over 10 thousand fans in the stands to take the lead. Their Russian opposite Dmitriy Muserskiy, with 23 points, won the scoring race with Bluteon’s Cuban outside hitter Miguel Lopez, with 21 points.
An official number of 12,295 spectators flocked to the venue for the second game on Saturday, but did not get to witness the crowning of the champions as Bluteon battled it out for a 3-2 (13-25, 25-23, 25-22, 20-25, 15-9) victory to level the series and push it to a third-match decider on Sunday. This time with as many as 32 points to his name, Muserskiy was once again the best scorer of the match, followed by Lopez with another 21.
With the momentum on their side, Bluteon dominated the crucial game on Sunday and took out Suntory in straight sets, 3-0 (25-22, 25-20, 25-18). This time, the organizers announced an official count of 12,189 spectators at the Yokohama Arena. Lopez topped the match chart with 19 points. Nishida contributed another 15, including the championship point, which he delivered with one of his three serving aces in the match. Muserskiy put away 18 points in his last match for Sunbirds before retirement.
