Defending champs Osaka take over third place after successful weekend

In the most interesting of the three double headers of the 11^th leg in the women’s Daido Life SV.League in Japan this weekend, defending champions Osaka Marvelous took two road victories at Victorina Himeji and overtook them in third place of the current standings. Saitama Ageo Medics won two home five-setters against Queenseis Kariya, while Gunma Green Wings and Astemo Rivale Ibaraki exchanged wins.

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Osaka Marvelous improved to a 15-7 win-loss ratio and 46 points and climbed to third place, surpassing their hosts Victorina Himeji, who dropped to fifth place on 14-8 and 40. Saturday’s duel between the two teams took well over two hours to resolve. In the tie-breaker, Osaka prevailed and celebrated a 3-2 (25-20, 15-25, 25-27, 25-16, 15-12) victory. Their Belgian opposite Lise Van Hecke led the way with 24 points. Her tally featured two kill blocks and a serving ace. On Sunday, the visitors got the job done in four sets, 3-1 (25-23, 20-25, 25-23, 25-17). This time, Osaka’s outside hitter Ameze Miyabe was the best scorer of the match with 21 points, including one ace and one block.

Gunma Green Wings were the team that also overtook Himeji in the standings. They traded victories with Astemo Rivale Ibaraki this weekend. On Saturday, Astemo surprised their hosts with a 3-2 (26-24, 25-18, 20-25, 19-25, 15-12) win. They were led by American opposite Mackenzie May with 24 points, including two kill blocks. With four aces and two stuffs under her belt, her Polish counterpart Olivia Rozanski emerged as the top scorer of the match, hammering a total of 36 points for Gunma. The home team retaliated on Sunday with a 3-0 (25-20, 25-22, 25-19) sweep. Rozanski put away a match-high 21 points, including two aces. At the end of the weekend, Gunma found themselves in fourth place on 14-8 and 42, while Astemo remained 11^th, now on 8-12 and 25.

After Saitama Ageo Medics’ two five-set wins over Queenseis Kariya, the gap between the two teams in the table narrowed down to just one position. Ageo climbed from 10^th to ninth place, now on 10-10 and 28, while Kariya descended from seventh to eighth place on 11-11 and 37. In Saturday’s match, Ageo came back from a set down twice before registering a narrow 3-2 (19-25, 25-22, 23-25, 25-17, 15-13) victory. The winners were led by opposite Fuyumihaui Okumuoba with 21 points, including one ace and one block, while Kariya’s Russian outside Sofya Kuznetsova topped the match chart with 27, also including one ace and one block. On Sunday, Queenseis came back from two sets down to push the duel to another tie-breaker, which Medics won again to snatch a 3-2 (25-23, 25-14, 21-25, 18-25, 15-12) victory. Outside Rina Yamaji chipped in with a team-high 22 points, including four blocks, while Kuznetsova was once again the best scorer with 30 points, including two stuffs.

A full set of seven double headers will be played next weekend, January 10 and 11.

Women’s SV.League 2025-2026 12th leg:
Jan 10, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): Gunma Green Wings v Queenseis Kariya
Jan 10, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): Saitama Ageo Medics v Aranmare Yamagata
Jan 10, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Astemo Rivale Ibaraki v Victorina Himeji
Jan 10, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Kurobe Aqua Fairies v Denso Airybees Koriyama
Jan 10, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Osaka Marvelous v Saga Hisamitsu Springs
Jan 10, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Okayama Seagulls v PFU BlueCats Ishikawa Kahoku
Jan 10, 15:05 local (06:05 UTC): Toray Arrows Shiga v NEC Red Rockets Kawasaki
Jan 11, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): Gunma Green Wings v Queenseis Kariya
Jan 11, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): Saitama Ageo Medics v Aranmare Yamagata
Jan 11, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Astemo Rivale Ibaraki v Victorina Himeji
Jan 11, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Kurobe Aqua Fairies v Denso Airybees Koriyama
Jan 11, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Osaka Marvelous v Saga Hisamitsu Springs
Jan 11, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Okayama Seagulls v PFU BlueCats Ishikawa Kahoku
Jan 11, 15:05 local (06:05 UTC): Toray Arrows Shiga v NEC Red Rockets Kawasaki

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