Astemo and Denso produce emphatic comebacks after tie-breaker losses in Japan

Тhe women’s Daido Life SV.League in Japan offered two five-set battles as the 10 matches of the 17^th leg unfolded this weekend. Astemo Rivale Ibaraki and Denso Airybees Koriyama lost their tie-breakers on Saturday at Saitama Ageo Medics and Toray Arrows Shiga, respectively, but both reacted with emphatic shutouts of their hosts on Sunday.

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In an epic rollercoaster match on Saturday, decided in the overtime of the tie-breaker, Saitama Ageo Medics squeezed out a nail-biting 3-2 (21-25, 25-19, 25-20, 18-25, 16-14) home victory over Astemo Rivale Ibaraki. Opposite Fuyumihaui Okumuoba contributed a team-high 25 points, including a kill block, to the win, while her American counterpart Mackenzie May delivered a match-high 26 points, including an ace, for the visitors. Astemo retaliated with a 3-0 (25-23, 25-22, 25-20) sweep of Sunday’s match. May chipped in with two kill blocks and an ace and, together with outside hitter and captain Miwako Osanai, led the winners with 14 points apiece. Ageo’s opposite Rina Yamaji was the best scorer of the match with 16 points, including two stuffs. The two teams climbed a spot each up the current standings. Ageo are now in the playoff zone, in eighth place on a 15-17 win-loss ratio and 42 points. Astemo are not far behind, in 10^th place on 14-18 and 44.

The double header between Toray Arrows Shiga and Denso Airybees Koriyama also started with a five-set duel on Saturday. The hosts from Shiga wasted a two-set lead before winning the tie-breaker in the overtime to celebrate a 3-2 (25-18, 25-19, 18-25, 21-25, 16-14) upset. Toray Arrows’ French opposite Lucille Gicquel won the scoring contest with her Brazilian counterpart Rosamaria Montibeller. She hammered out a match-high 30 points, including an ace and a block, for the winners, while Rosamaria impressed with five kill blocks and an ace towards a 28-point total for Denso. Airybees got back at their hosts on Sunday with a convincing 3-0 (25-11, 25-15, 25-16) shutout. Their outside Haruna Yamashita led the way with a match-high 13 points, including a kill block. Denso ascended from 10^th to ninth in the table, on 14-18 and 45, while Toray Arrows remained in 12^th place, now on 6-26 and 17.

Kurobe Aqua Fairies were the team that lost their spot in the playoff zone and fell as many as three positions down the table, to 11^th place on 14-18 and 41, after losing twice to PFU BlueCats Ishikawa Kahoku at home. PFU started their weekend with a 3-1 (25-20, 19-25, 25-23, 25-19) road victory over Kurobe. Their outside hitter Kisa Okuma (one ace, one kill block) and her Kurobe counterpart Rimi Kaneda (three aces, two kill blocks) shared the top scorer honors with 20 points each. Sunday’s match was also resolved in four sets the way of the visitors from Kahoku, 3-1 (23-25, 25-22, 25-21, 25-17). Okuma delivered a team-high 22 points, including an ace and a block. Kurobe’s German outside and captain Lena Stigrot topped the chart with 23 kills in attack and a stuff. PFU moved up a spot to fourth place on 21-11 and 68.

Table leaders NEC Red Rockets Kawasaki mastered a 3-0 (25-22, 25-15, 25-23) sweep of Saturday’s game at Okayama Seagulls with a match-high 20 points, all in swings, from American outside Giovanna Day, and a 3-0 (25-22, 27-25, 25-23) sweep of Sunday’s game with a match-high 24 points, including one block, from Italian opposite Sylvia Nwakalor. NEC top the current standings on 28-4 and 79. Okayama are second from the bottom, in 13^th place on 4-28 and 15.

Second-placed Saga Hisamitsu Springs swept Saturday’s match at table trailers Aranmare Yamagata in emphatic straight sets, 3-0 (25-18, 25-18, 25-11). Their American opposite Stephanie Samedy was the best scorer of the match with 14 points, including a block. Aranmare picked up one set on Sunday, but the three points once again went to Saga, 3-1 (25-12, 20-25, 25-15, 25-11). Samedy led the scorers again, with 17 points, including two blocks and an ace. Her counterpart Kaho Wakaizumi also finished with 17 for Aranmare, including an ace and a stuff. Saga are in the runner-up position on 25-7 and 67. The team from Yamagata is stuck in 14^th place on 3-29 and 10.

The 18^th leg next weekend, February 28 and March 1, will offer a full set of seven double headers on its program.

Women’s SV.League 2025-2026 18th leg:
Feb 28, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): Queenseis Kariya v Kurobe Aqua Fairies
Feb 28, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Aranmare Yamagata v Victorina Himeji
Feb 28, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): NEC Red Rockets Kawasaki v Gunma Green Wings
Feb 28, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Okayama Seagulls v Denso Airybees Koriyama
Feb 28, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Astemo Rivale Ibaraki v PFU BlueCats Ishikawa Kahoku
Feb 28, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Osaka Marvelous v Saitama Ageo Medics
Feb 28, 15:05 local (06:05 UTC): Toray Arrows Shiga v Saga Hisamitsu Springs
Mar 01, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): Queenseis Kariya v Kurobe Aqua Fairies
Mar 01, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): Aranmare Yamagata v Victorina Himeji
Mar 01, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): NEC Red Rockets Kawasaki v Gunma Green Wings
Mar 01, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): Okayama Seagulls v Denso Airybees Koriyama
Mar 01, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Astemo Rivale Ibaraki v PFU BlueCats Ishikawa Kahoku
Mar 01, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Osaka Marvelous v Saitama Ageo Medics
Mar 01, 15:05 local (06:05 UTC): Toray Arrows Shiga v Saga Hisamitsu Springs

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