Tokyo and Nagoya to lock horns in midweek leg opener in Japan

The fourth “weekend” of the new men’s Daido Life SV.League season in Japan will get an early start with a high-profile double header between Tokyo Great Bears and Wolfdogs Nagoya on Thursday and Friday. Another four double headers are set to complete the leg over the weekend, highlighted by a top-level clash between JTEKT Stings Aichi and Osaka Bluteon, a remake of one of last season’s semifinals.

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The Toyota Arena in Tokyo will set the stage for the two games between Tokyo Great Bears and Wolfdogs Nagoya to be played on Thursday, November 13, and on Friday, November 14, serving off at 19:05 local time (10:05 UTC) on both competition days. The home team, starring the likes of Polish opposite Bartosz Kurek, Slovenian middle blocker Jan Kozamernik and Argentinean outside hitter Luciano Vicentin, occupies fifth place in the current standings on a 3-3 win-loss ratio and 8 points. Just above them, in fourth place on 3-3 and 9, are their visitors from Nagoya, featuring a stellar squad around star opposite Kento Miyaura, French outside Timothee Carle and Polish middle Norbert Huber. Last season, Tokyo and Nagoya engaged in two double headers against one another. Wolfdogs won all four of the matches and while the first three produced four-set results, the last one offered a five-set battle.

A clash between third-placed JTEKT Stings Aichi and table leaders Osaka Bluteon is featured on the weekend’s program. With stars like French opposite Stephen Boyer and outsides Ricardo Lucarelli of Brazil and Toray DeFalco of the United States, Aichi will try to overcome the powerful visiting team, headlined by opposite Yuji Nishida, libero Tomohiro Yamamoto, middle Akihiro Yamauchi, French setter Antoine Brizard and Cuban outside Miguel Lopez. The home team stands on 4-2 and 11 in third place, while Bluteon lead the pack on 5-1 and 15. Last season, the two clubs met as many as eight times in the SV.League. Osaka won five of the six regular season encounters, but when they met in a best-of-three semifinal playoff series, Aichi advanced to the final after a 3-1 and a 3-2 away victories over their opponents. The upcoming games between the two sides will be on Saturday and Sunday at the Okazaki Central Park Gymnasium, starting at 14:05 (05:05) on both days.

Defending champions Suntory Sunbirds Osaka will welcome Nippon Steel Sakai Blazers to the Ookini Arena Maishima over the weekend for the closing matches of both competition days. The first whistle will blow at 17:05 (08:05). Suntory Sunbirds are running second, on 5-1 and 14, a point below leaders Bluteon. Sakai are in eighth place on 2-4 and 6.

Hiroshima Thunders will entertain Voreas Hokkaido at the Hiroshima Sunplaza Hall. Saturday’s game will serve off at 14:05 (05:05), while Sunday’s match will begin an hour earlier, at 13:05 (04:05). Hiroshima stand sixth in the table on 3-3 and 8. Voreas are second from the bottom, in ninth place on 2-4 and 6.

Nagano Tridents, seventh on 2-4 and 8, will host Toray Arrows Shizuoka, who trail bottom in 10^th place on 1-5 and 5. Saturday’s game at the ANC Arena will get underway at 14:05 (05:05) and Sunday’s match will start at 13:05 (04:05).

Men’s SV.League 2025-2026 fourth leg:
Nov 13, 19:05 local (10:05 UTC): Tokyo Great Bears v Wolfdogs Nagoya
Nov 14, 19:05 local (10:05 UTC): Tokyo Great Bears v Wolfdogs Nagoya
Nov 15, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Nagano Tridents v Toray Arrows Shizuoka
Nov 15, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Hiroshima Thunders v Voreas Hokkaido
Nov 15, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): JTEKT Stings Aichi v Osaka Bluteon
Nov 15, 17:05 local (08:05 UTC): Suntory Sunbirds Osaka v Nippon Steel Sakai Blazers
Nov 16, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): Nagano Tridents v Toray Arrows Shizuoka
Nov 16, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): Hiroshima Thunders v Voreas Hokkaido
Nov 16, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): JTEKT Stings Aichi v Osaka Bluteon
Nov 16, 17:05 local (08:05 UTC): Suntory Sunbirds Osaka v Nippon Steel Sakai Blazers

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