In front of nearly three thousand fans on the stands at the iconic Ariake Arena, Osaka mastered a 3-0 (25-14, 25-10, 25-21) shutout of NEC to edge ahead in the season’s final series. Belgian opposite Lise Van Hecke spearheaded the winners with a match-high 16 points. Her tally included two kill blocks and an ace. Filipino middle Sachi Minowa impressed in blocking with four stuffs towards a 12-point total. Outside hitters Kotona Hayashi and captain Mizuki Tanaka contributed 11 and 10 points, respectively. No one reached the double digits on Red Rockets’ side. Their best scorer of the match was sub-in opposite Yukiko Wada with nine points.
“It's good that we were able to finish the first day of the finals with a victory,” Osaka’s head coach Daisuke Sakai commented. “Right from the start, we were able to serve with high quality and our strong blocking skills shined in the game. The real battle is tomorrow. Not only do we want to win, which has been our goal, but we also want to play volleyball in a way that is enjoyable for our fans and all those who come to watch the game.”
