The fourth against the third in the current standings is the highlight of this weekend’s 19th leg of the men’s Daido Life SV.League regular season in Japan. In one of the five double headers on Saturday and Sunday, defending champions Suntory Sunbirds Osaka, who have already secured their spot in the playoffs (but not in the semifinals), will visit Tokyo Great Bears, who are on the verge of becoming the next team with a ticket to the elimination rounds.
SV-Men 2024-2025
Great Bears take on Suntory in weekend’s SV.League highlight
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Published 08:45, 14 Mar 2025
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Tokyo Great Bears are currently in fourth place on a 20-16 win-loss ratio and 63 points. If they take the full six points from their home double header with Suntory Sunbirds Osaka this weekend, they will also be mathematically qualified for the playoffs. Even less might do the job, if Hiroshima Thunders collect fewer than six points from their tough home encounters with Wolfdogs Nagoya. Suntory Sunbirds are in third place on 26-8 and 78. They are certain to finish the regular season among the top six, but now they are aiming at a top-two finish, which would propel them straight to the semifinals. The games will be played at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium on Saturday at 15:08 local time (06:08 UTC) and on Sunday at 14:08 (05:08). When the two stellar squads met at Tokyo’s Ariake Arena in November, Great Bears emerged with a tight five-set win in the first match, but Suntory Sunbirds took the second in straight sets. The Osaka squad arrives in the capital on a streak of six wins in a row, including last weekend’s two over table leaders Osaka Bluteon.
JTEKT Stings Aichi are the other team that can potentially stamp their ticket to the playoffs this weekend, depending on their results and the results of Hiroshima. Standing fifth in the table on 20-16 and 54, they will visit Toray Arrows Shizuoka at the Konohana Arena at 14:05 (05:05) on both competition days in what has been featured as the SV.League Games of the Week. Toray Arrows are a more distant candidate for a quarterfinal spot as they are running in eighth place on 10-24 and 30. Aichi took the full six points from their previous double header with Toray Arrows in November.
While it looks almost certain that Tokyo Great Bears and JTEKT Stings Aichi will claim their playoff berths in the near future, it will be interesting to observe the race for the remaining sixth vacancy, the main candidates for which are Nippon Steel Sakai Blazers, currently standing sixth on 14-20 and 44, and Hiroshima Thunders, seventh on 14-22 and 44.
Nippon Steel Sakai Blazers have a tough trip to Osaka Bluteon at the Panasonic Arena on Saturday and Sunday at 14:05 (05:05). Aiming at a direct pass to the semifinals, Osaka will be looking to recover from the two losses suffered at Suntory Sunbirds last weekend and further improve their 29-5 and 85 record that puts them on top of the current standings. Bluteon took three-point victories in all four previous encounters with Sakai this season.
It will not be any less difficult for Hiroshima Thunders who have home fixtures with second-placed Wolfdogs Nagoya at the Hiroshima Sunplaza Hall at 13:05 (04:05) on both days of the weekend. Standing on 29-7 and 85, Nagoya also hope to secure a top-two finish and even aim at the first place in the table. The 11-game winning streak Nagoya are currently on also includes the two home victories (3-1 and 3-2) over Hiroshima earlier this month. Wolfdogs managed two away victories (3-1 and 3-2) over Hiroshima earlier this season in November as well.
The two teams at the bottom of the table, ninth-placed Nagano Tridents and 10th-placed Voreas Hokkaido, will meet at the ANC Arena at 14:05 (05:05) on Saturday and at 13:05 (04:05) on Sunday. Hosts Nagano stand on 8-26 and 20, while Voreas trail bottom on 4-30 and 19. Both still hold mathematical shots at the playoffs.
Men’s SV.League 2024-2025 19th leg:
Mar 15, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): Hiroshima Thunders v Wolfdogs Nagoya
Mar 15, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Nagano Tridents v Voreas Hokkaido
Mar 15, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Toray Arrows Shizuoka v JTEKT Stings Aichi
Mar 15, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Osaka Bluteon v Nippon Steel Sakai Blazers
Mar 15, 15:08 local (06:08 UTC): Tokyo Great Bears v Suntory Sunbirds Osaka
Mar 16, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): Hiroshima Thunders v Wolfdogs Nagoya
Mar 16, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): Nagano Tridents v Voreas Hokkaido
Mar 16, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Toray Arrows Shizuoka v JTEKT Stings Aichi
Mar 16, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Osaka Bluteon v Nippon Steel Sakai Blazers
Mar 16, 14:08 local (05:08 UTC): Tokyo Great Bears v Suntory Sunbirds Osaka
