On Saturday, Voreas Hokkaido stunned Hiroshima Thunders with a 3-0 (25-23, 25-23, 25-17) sweep. Estonian outside hitter Mart Tammearu spearheaded the winners with a match-high 24 points. He spiked 21 at an impressive 84% success rate, served two aces and added one kill block. Taiwanese opposite Chang Yu-Sheng added another 12 points, all in swings, while Hiroshima’s outside hitter and captain Yudai Arai produced a team-high 13 points, including one ace. Whether or not the second sweep was a second surprise, Voreas did it again on Sunday, but this time all three sets were resolved by the narrowest of margins, 3-0 (25-23, 25-23, 26-24). This time, Chang topped the chart with a total of 18 points, including three aces and a block. Tammearu and another Estonian, middle blocker Timo Tammemaa, finished with 12 points apiece for Voreas, while Brazilian opposite Felipe Roque led Thunders with 11, including two aces.
The team from Hokkaido climbed two spots up the current standings, to seventh place on a 9-19 win-loss ratio and 28 points, right below the cut-off line for the playoffs. Hiroshima, on the other hand, dropped one position down to sixth place on 12-16 and 37, right on the edge of the playoff zone.
