Defending champions Suntory Sunbirds Osaka will play against Nippon Steel Sakai Blazers at home on Thursday and Friday to give the eighth leg in the men’s Daido Life SV.League in Japan an early start this week. Another four double headers will take place on Saturday and Sunday.
SV-Men 2024-2025
Suntory and Sakai up for early start of SV.League weekend in Japan
Watch the eighth leg of the men’s SV.League live on VBTV
Published 08:05, 28 Nov 2024
Suntory’s Ran Takahashi, Aleksander Sliwka and Taishi Onodera
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Action at the Edion Arena Osaka on Thursday, November 28, will start at 19:05 local time (10:05 UTC) with the first match of the double header between Suntory Sunbirds Osaka and Nippon Steel Sakai Blazers. The second match is scheduled on Friday at the same time and place.
Suntory’s six-game winning streak was broken last Sunday upon their visit to JTEKT Stings Aichi. Ran Takahashi, Dmitry Muserskiy, Aleksander Sliwka and their teammates stand fourth in the current standings on an 8-4 win-loss ratio and 26 points. Meanwhile, Sakai, who were leaders early into the season, are suffering the damages of an eight-match losing streak, which brought down Sharone Vernon-Evans, Luciano Palonsky and company to seventh place on 4-8 and 12. The previous six consecutive encounters between the two clubs were won by Suntory. The last time Sakai beat this opponent was back in March 2023.
The double header between Wolfdogs Nagoya and Tokyo Great Bears is the highlight of the weekend’s programme in Japan as the only clash between two teams with positive balances so far. Spearheaded by Dutch opposite Nimir Abdel-Aziz, Nagoya have been riding the wave of an eight-win run and are currently enjoying the third place in the table on 10-4 and 31. Tokyo are also arriving on a four-match winning streak that has positioned them in fifth place on 9-5 and 27. The matches at the Entrio will close both competition days of the weekend, starting at 15:35 (06:35) on Saturday and at 14:35 (05:35) on Sunday.
Second-placed JTEKT Stings Aichi are set to welcome sixth-placed Hiroshima Thunders for two matches at the Okazaki Central Park Gymnasium on Saturday and Sunday at 14:05 (05:05). Aichi stand on 11-3 and 28, while Hiroshima are on 5-9 and 16.
Table leaders Osaka Bluteon will have a trip to Nagano Tridents. Their games at the Swan Dome are set to start at 14:05 (05:05) on Saturday and at 13:05 (04:05) on Sunday. Osaka will be looking to further improve their record, which now stands at 10-2 and 30, while Nagano will have a tough challenge in trying to build on the two wins they scored at Voreas Hokkaido last weekend to improve to 4-8 and 10 in eighth place.
An interesting double header between the two bottom-placed teams is also coming up this weekend. Toray Arrows Shizuoka, placed ninth on 2-10 and 7, will entertain Voreas Hokkaido, placed 10th on 1-11 and 5. Before the two matches at the Koryo Arena set to start at 14:05 (05:05), both teams have been suffering long negative runs. Toray Arrows lost their last seven matches, while Voreas arrive on a six-game losing streak. Interestingly, their last wins came against one another from their previous double head-to-head encounter about a month ago in Hokkaido, when they exchanged four-set victories.
Men’s SV.League 2024-2025 8th leg:
Nov 28, 19:05 local (10:05 UTC): Suntory Sunbirds Osaka v Nippon Steel Sakai Blazers
Nov 29, 19:05 local (10:05 UTC): Suntory Sunbirds Osaka v Nippon Steel Sakai Blazers
Nov 30, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Nagano Tridents v Osaka Bluteon
Nov 30, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Toray Arrows Shizuoka v Voreas Hokkaido
Nov 30, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): JTEKT Stings Aichi v Hiroshima Thunders
Nov 30, 15:35 local (06:35 UTC): Wolfdogs Nagoya v Tokyo Great Bears
Dec 01, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): Nagano Tridents v Osaka Bluteon
Dec 01, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Toray Arrows Shizuoka v Voreas Hokkaido
Dec 01, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): JTEKT Stings Aichi v Hiroshima Thunders
Dec 01, 14:35 local (05:35 UTC): Wolfdogs Nagoya v Tokyo Great Bears
