Nagoya and Tokyo aiming to book playoff spots this weekend

Ahead of the 21^st leg of the men’s Daido Life SV.League in Japan, Suntory Sunbirds Osaka and Osaka Bluteon have already qualified directly to the semifinal playoffs, while JTEKT Stings Aichi have booked a spot in the quarterfinals. With three more quarterfinal vacancies remaining, Wolfdogs Nagoya and Tokyo Great Bears are aiming to put their hands on playoff spots this coming weekend, as a full set of five double headers unfolds on Saturday and Sunday, March 28 and 29.

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Tokyo Great Bears will have a direct head-to-head encounter with another candidate for the quarterfinals, the team that stands just below the cutoff line in the current standings, Nippon Steel Sakai Blazers. Tokyo are in fifth place on a 19-17 win-loss ratio and 54 points, while Sakai are seventh on 13-23 and 40, with eight games to go through the end of the regular season. So, if Great Bears score two home wins over Blazers this weekend, they will put their name on one of the quarterfinal tickets. However, Sakai swept the full six points from their home double header against Tokyo in January. The upcoming matches will be played at the iconic Ariake Coliseum in the Japanese capital on Saturday and Sunday at 14:05 local time (05:05 UTC).

Wolfdogs Nagoya will qualify for the quarterfinals, if they manage at least one win in their tough home double header against Osaka Bluteon this weekend, regardless of the outcome between Tokyo and Sakai. If not, then Tokyo could qualify them by winning at least one of the matches against Sakai. Nagoya are running in fourth place on 21-15 and 61, while Osaka are second on 30-6 and 88. The games at the Entrio will start at 14:35 (05:35) on Saturday and at 13:35 (04:35) on Sunday. Bluteon won each of the two home games against Wolfdogs in January in four sets.

Another high-profile duel is coming up at 13:05 (04:05) on both competition days at the Ookini Arena Maishima, where table leaders and defending champions Suntory Sunbirds Osaka will entertain third-placed JTEKT Stings Aichi in a remake of last year’s final. Sunbirds are on a six-match winning streak in the SV.League head-to-head series between the two clubs. That includes the two victories in last year’s final – 3-2 and 3-0 – and two away victories by 3-1 each earlier this season. The team from Osaka tops the current table on 33-3 and 96, while Aichi stand on 22-14 and 63 in third place.

Hiroshima Thunders are another candidate for the quarterfinal spots. They are right above the cut-off, in sixth place on 17-19 and 53. This weekend, they will host table trailers Nagano Tridents at the Higashi-Hiroshima Athletic Park Gymnasium on Saturday at 14:05 (05:05) and on Sunday at 13:05 (04:05). Nagano are stuck in 10^th place on 4-32 and 18.

Two teams that also have their chances of making it to the playoffs, at least mathematically – Toray Arrows Shizuoka and Voreas Hokkaido – will meet at the Konohana Arena at 14:05 (05:05) on both days of the weekend. Hosts Toray Arrows occupy eighth place on 11-25 and 33, while their visitors from Hokkaido are just below them, in ninth place on 10-26 and 31. When Voreas hosted Toray Arrows in December, the two sides traded five-set victories.

Men’s SV.League 2025-2026 21st leg:
Mar 28, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): Suntory Sunbirds Osaka v JTEKT Stings Aichi
Mar 28, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Hiroshima Thunders v Nagano Tridents
Mar 28, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Tokyo Great Bears v Nippon Steel Sakai Blazers
Mar 28, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Toray Arrows Shizuoka v Voreas Hokkaido
Mar 28, 14:35 local (05:35 UTC): Wolfdogs Nagoya v Osaka Bluteon
Mar 29, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): Suntory Sunbirds Osaka v JTEKT Stings Aichi
Mar 29, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): Hiroshima Thunders v Nagano Tridents
Mar 29, 13:35 local (04:35 UTC): Wolfdogs Nagoya v Osaka Bluteon
Mar 29, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Tokyo Great Bears v Nippon Steel Sakai Blazers
Mar 29, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Toray Arrows Shizuoka v Voreas Hokkaido

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