A productive weekend for star outside hitter Sarina Koga helped her lead her team NEC Red Rockets to mixed results in the Japanese V. League. The 25-year-old Japanese registered 42 points across two matches, but the Red Rockets could only win one to rank fourth in the standings.
Koga delivers, but Red Rockets have mixed results in Japan
The Japanese star produces 42 points, but her team fall short in the second match of the weekend
Published 03:00, 21 Feb 2022
A Tokyo Olympian, the 1.80m-tall Koga opened the weekend with a 17-point (13 kills, three blocks, one ace) performance that helped the Red Rockets triumph in four sets (25-12, 21-25, 25-23, 25-11) against the Toyota Auto Body Queenseis on Saturday.
On Sunday, despite the best receiver of the 2015 FIVB Volleyball World Cup increasing her output and delivering a match-high 25 points (19 kills, five blocks, one ace), the Red Rockets couldn’t handle second-placed Toray Arrows and fell in a five-set (22-25, 25-14, 17-25, 25-17, 15-10) battle.
Meanwhile, defending champions and league leaders JT Marvelous solidified their position at the top of the standings with a pair of wins over the weekend. On Saturday, the team topped the Kurobe Aqua Fairies in straight sets (25-18, 25-7, 25-9) with 14 points (ten kills, three blocks, one ace) by American Olympic champion opposite Annie Drews.
On Sunday, JT Marvelous had another dominant performance to defeat the Okayama Seagulls also in three sets (25-17, 25-16, 25-17). Drews led the scorers again with ten points (nine kills, one block), this time tied with Japan national team outside hitter Kotona Hayashi.
Third-placed Hisamitsu Springs also celebrated a pair of clean victories against the same opponents. On Saturday, they took the Seagulls down 25-10, 25-20, 25-13 with 18 points (15 kills, two aces, one block) by outside hitter Arisa Inoue. The next day, they handled the Aqua Fairies 25-19, 25-16, 25-23 with Inoue leading the scorers again with 16 points (15 kills, one ace).
Ranked eighth, Hitachi Rivale were another team to go undefeated this weekend. Their schedule started with a hard-fought, five-set (21-25, 29-27, 18-25, 25-18, 27-25) victory over the Saitama Ageo Medics on Saturday and ended with a 3-1 (25-19, 21-25, 25-18, 25-19) win against the Victorina Himeji on Sunday.
A member of the Japan national team that won the Asian Championship in 2019, outside hitter Miwako Osanai scored 26 points (24 kills, two blocks) in the first match and 14 in the second, the same number of points scored by American middle blocker Hannah Tapp.
The V. League features a single match on Wednesday, with the Red Rockets facing the Ageo Medics, ahead of next weekend’s full round.
