NEC Red Rockets reclaim continental throne

After a year’s absence, Japan’s NEC Red Rockets Kawasaki returned to the continental club throne in Asian women’s volleyball. On Thursday, they triumphed at the 2026 AVC Women’s Champions League in Bangkok to claim the title for the third time in history, after 2016 and 2024. The club from Kawasaki also picked up Asian Women's Club Volleyball Championship silvers in 2000 and 2018.

• Watch AVC Women’s Champions League replays on VBTV

Thailand’s Nakhon Ratchasima 3M Films finished runners-up and collected their fourth medal in the history of Asia’s most prestigious club competition, after the silver in 2021 and the bronze in 2024 and 2025. Both NEC Red Rockets and Nakhon Ratchasima qualified for the 2026 FIVB Volleyball Women’s Club World Championship.

Last year’s Champions League winners Zhetysu Taldyqorgan of Kazakhstan settled for bronze and registered their sixth continental podium.

NEC Red Rockets cruised through the tournament undefeated. In the quarterfinals, they mastered a 3-0 (28-26, 25-16, 25-21) shutout of Thailand’s Harudot Chonburi RMUTT. In Wednesday’s semifinals, they dropped their only set of the competition, but dethroned Zhetysu with a 3-1 (25-18, 25-20, 24-26, 25-22) victory.

In the gold medal showdown against Nakhon Ratchasima, the Japanese team hammered out a 3-0 (25-23, 25-21, 25-15) sweep with a match-high 17 points from Italian opposite Sylvia Nwakalor. Outside hitter Yoshino Sato added another 15 points. Middle blocker and captain Nichika Yamada and outside Haruko Sasaki contributed 11 and 10 points, respectively. Opposite Papatchaya Phontham led the Thai team with 13 points, while outside and captain Sasipapron Janthawisut finished with 12.

Earlier on Thursday, Zhetysu produced a 3-0 (25-18, 25-15, 25-21) victory over another Thai team, Supreme TIP Chonburi - E.Tech, to claim the bronze. Opposite Tatyana Nikitina led the way with a match-high 21 points and emerged as the best scorer of the competition with a total of 61 points, as well as the best attacker. Middle blocker Natalya Borisenko impressed with seven kill blocks and topped the tournaments best blockers chart with a total of 12.

China’s Beijing Arctic Ocean, Indonesia’s Bandung BJB Tandamata, Thailand’s Harudot Chonburi RMUTT and Iran’s Mehregan Noor, who lost the four quarterfinals, lined up from fifth to eighth in the final standings.

NEC’s 24-year-old outside hitter Yoshino Sato, who shined as the best server of the 2026 AVC Women’s Champions League with eight aces to her name, was honored as the tournament’s Most Valuable Player (MVP). She also made the Dream Team in the company of setter Tsukasa Nakagawa (NEC Red Rockets), opposite Sylvia Nwakalor (NEC Red Rockets), outside hitter Sasipaporn Janthawisut (Nakhon Ratchasima), middle blockers Kaewkalaya Kamulthala (Nakhon Ratchasima) and Nichika Yamada (NEC Red Rockets), and libero Madina Beket (Zhetysu).

Beket was also the best defender of the competition with 45 digs. Supreme’s playmaker Natthanicha Jaisaen led the best setters chart with 50 successful sets.

2026 AVC Women’s Champions League: all results

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