Gunma on to the playoffs, Ageo and Denso keep the fire burning

Gunma Green Wings lived up to the expectations and booked the seventh playoff spot in the women’s Daido Life SV.League in Japan as the seven double headers of the 22^nd leg unfolded this weekend. Meanwhile, Saitama Ageo Medics and Denso Airybees Koriyama traded victories in their double header to keep the eighth berth up for grabs until next weekend’s last leg of regular season action.

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Gunma Green Wings cruised to two straight-set home victories over Aranmare Yamagata to cement themselves in the top seven of the regular season. They are seventh in the current standings, now on a 24-18 win-loss ratio and 70 points, and can no longer drop any lower with two games to go. Meanwhile, Aranmare, on 3-39 and 11, are now certain to finish bottom of the table, in 14^th place. Gunma’s Polish outside hitter Olivia Rozanski was the best scorer of both matches – with 26 points towards Saturday’s 3-0 (25-20, 25-22, 25-22) sweep and another 23 towards Sunday’s 3-0 (25-23, 25-15, 25-18) shutout.

Saitama Ageo Medics and Denso Airybees Koriyama stayed in contention for the last remaining playoff vacancy, after exchanging wins this weekend. Hosts Ageo put together a 3-2 (23-25, 25-22, 22-25, 25-20, 15-13) victory on Saturday with a team-high 21 points from outside and captain Mami Uchiseto, while Denso’s Brazilian strikers Sabrina Machado and Rosamaria Montibeller hammered out 35 and 26 points, respectively. To make sure they stay alive in the race for the quarterfinals, Denso retaliated with an emphatic 3-0 (25-15, 25-21, 25-21) shutout on Sunday. Rosamaria Montibeller and Sabrina Machado topped the charts again, with 17 and 14 points, respectively. Ageo remained within the playoff zone, in eighth place on 22-20 and 60, while Denso are close behind, just below the cut-off, in ninth place on 21-21 and 65.

One of the most surprising results of the weekend was Astemo Rivale Ibaraki’s win over defending champions Osaka Marvelous on Sunday. In the first match between them on Saturday, Osaka managed a 3-1 (23-25, 25-22, 25-18, 26-24) victory with a team-high 22 points from outside Ameze Miyabe and a match-high 25 points from Astemo’s American opposite Mackenzie May. The home team struck back with a 3-1 (25-20, 25-21, 22-25, 25-22) victory in the second match. May was once again the best scorer with 25 points. Marvelous are in fourth place on 28-14 and 85, while Astemo are 10^th on 17-25 and 55.

Kurobe Aqua Fairies, on the other hand, delivered their surprise on Saturday, in the first match of their double header at PFU BlueCats Ishikawa Kahoku -  a 3-2 (18-25, 25-21, 19-25, 25-20, 15-12) win with a team-high 17 points from German outside and captain Lena Stigrot and despite an impressive 33-point match high from PFU’s opposite Melissa Valdes. Outside Miyu Kawazoe led PFU in Sunday’s 3-0 (25-12, 25-20, 25-20) retaliation with 15 points. BlueCats stand third on 29-13 and 91, while Kurobe are in 11^th place on 17-25 and 50.

Table neighbors Victorina Himeji and Queenseis Kariya also split the wins in their double header this weekend. The visitors from Kariya came back from two sets down to celebrate a 3-2 (17-25, 23-25, 25-22, 25-18, 15-8) victory on Saturday. Russian opposite Sofya Kuznetsova led the winners with 35 points, while Himeji’s Italian outside Camilla Mingardi topped even that with a match-high 39 points. The home team took its revenge on Sunday with a 3-1 (25-22, 20-25, 25-20, 25-20) win. Mingardi was once again on fire to emerge as the game’s best scorer with 36 points. Hineji is in fifth place on 27-15 and 79, while Kariya stand sixth on 24-18 and 78.

The top two teams in the current standings – NEC Red Rockets Kawasaki and Saga Hisamitsu Springs – scored two wins each this weekend. However, table leaders NEC were forced by their visitors Toray Arrows Shiga to a tie-breaker resolution on Sunday before registering a narrow 3-2 (21-25, 25-17, 21-25, 25-20, 15-13) victory, led by American outside Giovanna Day with 29 points. The first match took Red Rockets only three sets to complete, 3-0 (25-19, 25-15, 25-20), with a match-high 16 points from outside Yoshino Sato. NEC improved to 36-6 and 104 on top of the standings, while Toray Arrows are second from the bottom, in 13^th place on 6-36 and 20.

Saga Hisamitsu Springs brought home two three-point wins over their hosts Okayama Seagulls with American opposite Stephanie Samedy powering the team with 19 points towards Saturday’s 3-0 (28-26, 25-19, 25-20) sweep and with 16 points in Sunday’s 3-1 (22-25, 25-17, 25-23, 25-15) four-setter. In the second game, Okayama’s Vietnamese opposite Tran Thi Bich Thuy impressed with six kill blocks towards a match-high 22 points. Saga are in the runner-up position on 34-8 and 93, while Okayama are third from the bottom, in 12^th place on 6-36 and 21.

The last leg of the regular season with a full set of seven double headers will be held next weekend, on Saturday and Sunday, April 4 and 5.

Women’s SV.League 2025-2026 23rd leg:
Apr 04, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): Denso Airybees Koriyama v Astemo Rivale Ibaraki
Apr 04, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): Gunma Green Wings v Victorina Himeji
Apr 04, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): Saitama Ageo Medics v Okayama Seagulls
Apr 04, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Queenseis Kariya v NEC Red Rockets Kawasaki
Apr 04, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Kurobe Aqua Fairies v Osaka Marvelous
Apr 04, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Saga Hisamitsu Springs v Aranmare Yamagata
Apr 04, 15:05 local (06:05 UTC): Toray Arrows Shiga v PFU BlueCats Ishikawa Kahoku
Apr 05, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): Denso Airybees Koriyama v Astemo Rivale Ibaraki
Apr 05, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): Gunma Green Wings v Victorina Himeji
Apr 05, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): Saitama Ageo Medics v Okayama Seagulls
Apr 05, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): Queenseis Kariya v NEC Red Rockets Kawasaki
Apr 05, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Kurobe Aqua Fairies v Osaka Marvelous
Apr 05, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Saga Hisamitsu Springs v Aranmare Yamagata
Apr 05, 15:05 local (06:05 UTC): Toray Arrows Shiga v PFU BlueCats Ishikawa Kahoku

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