French duel between Boyer and Carle in spotlight of SV.League weekend in Japan

The matches between JTEKT Stings Aichi and Wolfdogs Nagoya have been rightfully selected Games of the Week in the approach to the seventh leg in the men’s Daido Life SV.League in Japan. They will feature a clash between the fourth and the third in the current standings, but will also be spiced up with a face-to-face duel between French stars Stephen Boyer and Timothee Carle. That and the other four double headers of the seventh leg will be played this weekend, on Saturday, December 6, and on Sunday, December 7.

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French opposite and Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion Stephen Boyer’s JTEKT Stings Aichi stand fourth in the table on an 8-4 win-loss ratio and 24 points, and arrive at the upcoming weekend on a four-match winning streak, while French outside hitter and Paris 2024 Olympic champions Timothee Carle’s Wolfdogs Nagoya are just above them, in third place on 9-3 and 25, following a victorious run of six matches in a row. They will meet at the ASTY Tokushima at 14:05 local time (05:05 UTC) on both competition days. The two clubs met six times last season. Aichi won both games of the first double header, but all of the next four matches went the way of Nagoya.

In another clash between teams from the top half of the table, leaders Osaka Bluteon will host Tokyo Great Bears at the Asue Arena Osaka. Serving off at 17:05 (08:05), these will be the closing matches on both competition days. Osaka stand on top of the table on 11-1 and 32, while Tokyo occupy fifth place on 5-5 and 13. Last season, Great Bears managed to win one of the four head-to-head games against Bluteon.

Defending champions Suntory Sunbirds Osaka, who are in second place, separated from Bluteon on a single set lost more, will travel to Toray Arrows Shizuoka, standing third from the bottom, in eighth place on 2-8 and 7. The two games at the Koryo Arena are set to get underway at 14:05 (05:05).

Hiroshima Thunders will welcome Nippon Steel Sakai Blazers to the Iwakuni City General Gymnasium at 14:05 (05:05) on Saturday and at 13:05 (04:05) on Sunday. The home team is running sixth on 5-7 and 15, while their visitors from Sakai trail bottom, in 10^th place on 2-10 and 6.

At the same starting times – at 14:05 (05:05) on Saturday and at 13:05 (04:05) on Sunday – Nagano Tridents will entertain Voreas Hokkaido at the ANC Arena. These two teams are also situated in the bottom half of the table. Nagano are in seventh place on 3-9 and 12, while Voreas stand ninth on 2-10 and 8.

Men’s SV.League 2025-2026 seventh leg:
Dec 06, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Nagano Tridents v Voreas Hokkaido
Dec 06, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Hiroshima Thunders v Nippon Steel Sakai Blazers
Dec 06, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Toray Arrows Shizuoka v Suntory Sunbirds Osaka
Dec 06, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): JTEKT Stings Aichi v Wolfdogs Nagoya
Dec 06, 17:05 local (08:05 UTC): Osaka Bluteon v Tokyo Great Bears
Dec 07, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): Nagano Tridents v Voreas Hokkaido
Dec 07, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): Hiroshima Thunders v Nippon Steel Sakai Blazers
Dec 07, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Toray Arrows Shizuoka v Suntory Sunbirds Osaka
Dec 07, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): JTEKT Stings Aichi v Wolfdogs Nagoya
Dec 07, 17:05 local (08:05 UTC): Osaka Bluteon v Tokyo Great Bears

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