Leaders Sakai against third-placed Aichi in SV.League focus this weekend

The third weekend of the men’s Daido Life SV.League’s regular season is coming up in Japan with four double headers, among which the clash between table leaders Nippon Steel Sakai Blazers and third-placed JTEKT Stings Aichi stands out. The first matches of all four encounters will be played on Saturday, October 26, and the second will be contested on Sunday, October 27.

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Nippon Steel Sakai Blazers lead the current standings on a 4-0 win-loss record and 11 points as the only undefeated team in the league so far. The young squad around Canadian opposite Sharone Vernon-Evans will try to keep it that way as they host the stellar line-up of JTEKT Stings Aichi at the Nippon Steel Sakai Gymnasium at 15:05 local time (06:05 UTC) on Saturday and at 13:05 (04:05) on Sunday. With the likes of Torey DeFalco, Ricardo Lucarelli or Kento Miyaura on their roster, Aichi dropped one of their matches in the opening leg, but then recovered with two wins over Wolfdogs Nagoya, the table leaders at the time, to climb to third place on 3-1 and 8.

Since 2013, when JTEKT Stings started competing in Japan’s top league, the two clubs have met 41 times. JTEKT Stings have won 21 of these encounters, leading the head-to-head record against Sakai by one victory. Last season they faced each other four times. Sakai won the first three meetings, but Aichi shut them out in their most recent game in March.

At the other end of the table, there will be another clash between the first and the third, but from the bottom. The only winless team in the SV.League, Voreas Hokkaido, standing 10^th on 0-4 and 1, will try to change that status as they host Toray Arrows Shizuoka, who are in eighth place on 1-3 and 4. The matches at the Recruit Staffing RICK&SUE Asahikawa Gymnasium start at 13:35 (04:35) on both days.

The match programmes on both Saturday and Sunday will open at 13:05 (04:05) with a high-level clash between top-five teams. Osaka Bluteon, standing second in the table on 3-1 and 9, will entertain fifth-placed Wolfdogs Nagoya, who stand on 2-2 and 7, at the Panasonic Arena, with an anticipated duel between high-calibre opposites Yuji Nishida and Nimir Abdel-Aziz likely to snatch the spotlight.

The remaining double header this weekend is between Hiroshima Thunders and Tokyo Great Bears. They will meet at the Shimane Prefectural Hamayama Gymnasium at 14:05 (05:05) on Saturday and at 13:05 (04:05) on Sunday. The two rivals are currently neighbours in the table on a 2-2 win-loss record each. The home side from Hiroshima are seventh on 4 points, while their visitors from the capital are sixth on 6 points.

Men’s SV.League 2024-2025 3rd leg:
Oct 26, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): Osaka Bluteon v Wolfdogs Nagoya
Oct 26, 13:35 local (04:35 UTC): Voreas Hokkaido v Toray Arrows Shizuoka
Oct 26, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Hiroshima Thunders v Tokyo Great Bears
Oct 26, 15:05 local (06:05 UTC): Nippon Steel Sakai Blazers v JTEKT Stings Aichi
Oct 27, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): Osaka Bluteon v Wolfdogs Nagoya
Oct 27, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): Hiroshima Thunders v Tokyo Great Bears
Oct 27, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): Nippon Steel Sakai Blazers v JTEKT Stings Aichi
Oct 27, 13:35 local (04:35 UTC): Voreas Hokkaido v Toray Arrows Shizuoka

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