Denso and Osaka looking to stay unbeaten in Japan

With six double headers on the programme, the third leg in the women’s Daido Life SV.League of Japan will take place this weekend. Among the 12 games to be played – six on Saturday, October 26, and six on Sunday, October 27 – the home fixtures of still undefeated Denso Airybees Koriyama and Osaka Marvelous against PFU BlueCats Ishikawa Kahoku and Saga Hisamitsu Springs, respectively, attract the attention of the fans wondering whether they will be able to continue their winning streaks.

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Denso Airybees Koriyama lead the current standings on a full set of four wins and 12 points from four matches played. Now Brazilian star Rosamaria Montibeller and her teammates hope to keep that perfect run going as they host a team from the top half of the table, sixth-placed PFU BlueCats Ishikawa Kahoku (3-1 win-loss record and 7 points), headlined by Thai middle blocker Thatdao Nuekjang, at the Fukushima Toyota Crown Arena in the weekend opener on Saturday at 13:05 local time (04:05 UTC) and then again on Sunday at the same starting time.

The historic head-to-head balance between the two clubs is heavily tilted Denso’s way. The Airybees from Koriyama have won 11 of the 13 encounters with PFU, including the most recent four. The last time the BlueCats from Kahoku beat Denso was back in January 2023.

Also unbeaten, but in only two matches played, Osaka Marvelous stand second in the table on 5 points. This weekend, the squad around Japanese international Kotona Hayashi and Belgian striker Lise Van Hecke will welcome Saga Hisamitsu Springs to the Panasonic Arena at 18:05 (09:05) on both competition days. Saga are just below the middle of the table, in eighth place on 2-2 and 7. Last season Marvelous won both encounters with Hisamitsu Springs by three-point results and are now looking to extend that streak, but mainly to stay on victory lane continuing the excellent start of the new season.

Okayama Seagulls, who are just above Saga in the standings, also on 2-2 and 7, but in seventh place on better set ratio, will play at home this weekend, visited at the ZIP Arena Okayama by 13^th-placed Kurobe Aqua Fairies, who will be chasing their first win of the season, after collecting only a point from their previous four matches. The two games in Okayama on Saturday and Sunday will start at 13:05 (04:05).

Toray Arrows Shiga and Aranmare Yamagata, neighbours in the standings in 11^th and 12^th place, respectively, on 0-4 and 1 each, will lock horns to seize the opportunity for a first win of the season. Both games will start at 14:05 (05:05) and will be contested at Toray Arrows’ YMIT Arena.

Bottom-of-the-table Gunma Green Wings are also after their first win of the season. They failed to take any points from their two games on opening weekend and did not have matches scheduled on the second weekend. Now they will entertain Saitama Ageo Medics, who have also played only two matches so far, but stand in ninth place on 1-1 and 3. The two encounters at the Izumi General Park Gymnasium on Saturday and Sunday start at 14:05 (05:05).

At the same starting times, but at the Nishihara Shokai Arena, Queenseis Kariya will host NEC Red Rockets Kawasaki in another interesting double header this weekend. The home team around Belgian star Kaja Grobelna are in 10^th place on 1-1 and 2, and will try to improve that record in the matches against the defending champions from Kawasaki. NEC Red Rockets, with the likes of rising star Yoshino Sato and Thai standout Ajcharaporn Kongyot in the line-up, are fourth in the table on 3-1 and 9.

Women’s SV.League 2024-2025 3rd leg:
Oct 26, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): Denso Airybees Koriyama v PFU BlueCats Ishikawa Kahoku
Oct 26, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): Okayama Seagulls v Kurobe Aqua Fairies
Oct 26, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Gunma Green Wings v Saitama Ageo Medics
Oct 26, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Queenseis Kariya v NEC Red Rockets Kawasaki
Oct 26, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Toray Arrows Shiga v Aranmare Yamagata
Oct 26, 18:05 local (09:05 UTC): Osaka Marvelous v Saga Hisamitsu Springs
Oct 27, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): Denso Airybees Koriyama v PFU BlueCats Ishikawa Kahoku
Oct 27, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): Okayama Seagulls v Kurobe Aqua Fairies
Oct 27, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): Queenseis Kariya v NEC Red Rockets Kawasaki
Oct 27, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Gunma Green Wings v Saitama Ageo Medics
Oct 27, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Toray Arrows Shiga v Aranmare Yamagata
Oct 27, 18:05 local (09:05 UTC): Osaka Marvelous v Saga Hisamitsu Springs

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