Kariya and Osaka trade five-set wins in Japan, Himeji on to quarterfinals

Тhe double-header between Queenseis Kariya and defending champions Osaka Marvelous was certainly the most interesting one of the seven in the 19^th leg of the women’s Daido Life SV.League that unfolded this weekend in Japan. The two teams put up two five-set battles, splitting the spoils. Table leaders NEC Red Rockets Kawasaki also suffered a tie-breaker upset in the first match of their visit to PFU BlueCats Ishikawa Kahoku. Meanwhile, Victorina Himeji reserved their place in the playoffs.

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Queenseis Kariya came back from two sets down to upset their visitors Osaka Marvelous with a 3-2 (22-25, 23-25, 25-23, 25-22, 15-11) reverse sweep in the first match on Saturday. Russian outside hitter Sofya Kuznetsova contributed four aces towards a match-high 27 points for the winners. Another five-setter unfolded at the Kariya City Gymnasium on Sunday. This time, the visitors brought home a 3-2 (25-17, 17-25, 25-21, 23-25, 15-11) victory. Kuznetsova topped the chart again, this time with 26 points, while her Belgian counterpart Lise Van Hecke led Marvelous with 23, including three kill blocks. Osaka stayed in third place in the current standings, now on a 26-10 win-loss ratio and 79 points. Kariya kept in sixth place on 21-15 and 69.

PFU BlueCats Ishikawa Kahoku produced a 3-2 (24-26, 26-24, 25-21, 16-25, 15-9) upset of their visitors NEC Red Rockets Kawasaki on Saturday. Outside hitter Miyu Kawazoe led the winners with 20 points, while her American counterpart Giovanna Day delivered a match-high 28 points, including four kill blocks, for NEC. Red Rockets’ other outside, Yoshino Sato, impressed with four aces within a 24-point tally. NEC retaliated with a 3-1 (35-33, 20-25, 25-22, 25-21) victory on Sunday with Sato leading the way with 27 points, including two aces and a block. The team from Kawasaki tops the current standings on 31-5 and 89, while PFU dropped a spot to fifth place on 24-12 and 75, still short of mathematically booking a safe berth in the playoffs.

Victorina Himeji, on the other hand, became the fourth team that qualified for the quarterfinals, after NEC Red Rockets, Saga Hisamitsu Springs and Osaka Marvelous. They climbed to fourth place on 25-11 and 73 and can no longer be pushed below the top eight in the final regular season standings. Himeji swept both matches of their home double header against Okayama Seagulls in straight sets. Italian striker Camilla Mingardi emerged as the best scorer of both games, with 21 points towards Saturday’s 3-0 (25-21, 25-18, 25-19) and another 26 towards Sunday’s 3-0 (25-14, 25-22, 25-14). Okayama remained second from the bottom, in 13^th place on 4-32 and 15.

Gunma Green Wings started their weekend with a nail-biting 3-2 (23-25, 25-15, 19-25, 25-22, 19-17) road victory at Toray Arrows Shiga, with a match-high 31 points from Polish opposite Olivia Rozanski, while Bulgarian middle Nasya Dimitrova impressed with five kill blocks towards Gunma’s success. Her Dutch counterpart Juliet Lohuis shined for Toray Arrows with four aces and four stuffs. On Sunday, the visitors did it again and claimed another five-set win, 3-2 (25-10, 19-25, 23-25, 25-11, 15-8), in a rollercoaster match. While Dimitrova put up an even more impressive seven kill blocks, Rozanski raised five, to which she added two aces and 24 spike kills towards a match-high 31 points. Gunma stand seventh in the table on 20-16 and 57, while Toray Arrows are in 12^th place on 6-30 and 19.

Saga Hisamitsu Springs achieved two wins upon their visit to Astemo Rivale Ibaraki and improved to 29-7 and 78 in second place. Astemo picked up a point towards a 14-22 and 46, which keeps them in 10^th place. Saga managed a 3-1 (29-27, 17-25, 25-19, 25-23) win in the first match, led by American opposite Stephanie Samedy with a team-high 18 points, while her counterpart and compatriot Mackenzie May delivered a match-high 24 for Astemo. A five-set duel unfolded on Sunday, with the visitors once again celebrating as victors, but this time with a narrow 3-2 (21-25, 25-21, 19-25, 25-15, 15-13) win. Outside hitter Ayane Kitamado was the best scorer of the game with 25 points, including three blocks and an ace, for Saga.

Similarly, Saitama Ageo Medics took home five points from their trip to Kurobe Aqua Fairies to keep their position right below the playoff zone, ninth place on 17-19 and 47. Kurobe also stayed put in 11^th place, now on 14-22 and 42. Opposite Fuyumihaui Okumuoba powered Ageo with a match-high 25 points towards Saturday’s 3-1 (25-17, 25-19, 33-35, 25-22) win. On Sunday, Ageo had to find their way back from two sets down before celebrating a 3-2 (22-25, 20-25, 25-22, 25-23, 15-11) victory. It was their American opposite Izabella Rapacz’s turn to shine. With 26 points to her name, she shared the top scorer honors with Kurobe’s Dutch opposite Iris Scholten.

Denso Airybees Koriyama struggled in the first match of their home double header against bottom-placed Aranmare Yamagata, but managed to come up with a 3-2 (25-21, 21-25, 25-15, 20-25, 15-9) win, with Brazilian opposite Rosamaria Montibeller delivering a match-high 29 points, including three blocks. On Sunday, Denso managed to get the job done in three sets, 3-0 (25-23, 25-20, 25-20). Rosamaria was once again the best scorer of the match, with 20 points, including two aces. Denso stayed within the playoff zone, in eighth place, now on 18-18 and 56. Aranmare stayed in 14^th on 3-33 and 11.

The 20^th leg next weekend, March 14 and 15, will offer a full set of seven double headers on its program.

Women’s SV.League 2025-2026 20th leg:
Mar 14, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): Denso Airybees Koriyama v PFU BlueCats Ishikawa Kahoku
Mar 14, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): Gunma Green Wings v Okayama Seagulls
Mar 14, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): Saitama Ageo Medics v Toray Arrows Shiga
Mar 14, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Aranmare Yamagata v Kurobe Aqua Fairies
Mar 14, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Astemo Rivale Ibaraki v Queenseis Kariya
Mar 14, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Osaka Marvelous v NEC Red Rockets Kawasaki
Mar 14, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Saga Hisamitsu Springs v Victorina Himeji
Mar 15, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): Denso Airybees Koriyama v PFU BlueCats Ishikawa Kahoku
Mar 15, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): Gunma Green Wings v Okayama Seagulls
Mar 15, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): Saitama Ageo Medics v Toray Arrows Shiga
Mar 15, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): Aranmare Yamagata v Kurobe Aqua Fairies
Mar 15, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Astemo Rivale Ibaraki v Queenseis Kariya
Mar 15, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Osaka Marvelous v NEC Red Rockets Kawasaki
Mar 15, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Saga Hisamitsu Springs v Victorina Himeji

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