Kariya shut out Saga in one of weekend’s many surprising results in Japan

The 13^th leg in the women’s Daido Life SV.League in Japan this weekend offered plenty of surprising results in the seven double headers played, as well as a few changes in the current standings.

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Queenseis Kariya’s 3-0 (25-22, 31-29, 25-18) sweep of their second game against second-placed Saga Hisamitsu Springs was probably the biggest stunner of the weekend. Kariya’s American opposite Danielle Cuttino was above all with a match-high 26 points, including two kill blocks and an ace. Her counterpart and compatriot Stephanie Samedy led Saga with 18 points. The first game between the two teams on Saturday produced a five-set battle, in which Saga lived up to their status of match favorites and claimed a 3-2 (25-18, 25-23, 22-25, 21-25, 15-12) win. Cuttino won that all-American scoring race with Samedy as well. She put away 27 points, including one ace and one block, against 24, all in swings, by the winners’ opposite. Queenseis gained one position in the standings and climbed to eighth place on a 13-13 win-loss ratio and 45 points. Hisamitsu Springs stayed in second place, now on 18-6 and 48.

Aranmare Yamagata did what they had to push away from the bottom of the table and surpass Toray Arrows Shiga into ninth place. They took the full six points from their visit to Shiga this week, improved to 3-21 and 10, and left their hosts at the bottom, in 10^th place on 3-21 and 9. Aranmare took out Toray Arrows in straight sets, 3-0 (25-22, 25-19, 25-22), on Saturday, with a match-high 15 points from outside hitter and captain Yuka Yoshimura, including two aces and a block. Sunday’s game lasted four sets, but the three points once again went to Aranmare – 3-1 (25-20, 17-25, 25-20, 30-28). Yoshimura led the team again with 17 points, but this time, substitute outside Risa Yajima topped the match chart with 18 points for Toray Arrows.

PFU BlueCats Ishikawa Kahoku stunned their hosts Victorina Himeji on both competition days, bringing home the six points and overtaking the opponents into fourth place on 15-9 and 50, two spots up from where they were before the weekend. Himeji fell to fifth place on 16-10 and 46. Opposite Melissa Valdes contributed a match-high 22 points, including three blocks, towards PFU’s 3-0 (25-14, 25-22, 25-20) victory on Saturday, and a team-high 21 points towards their 3-1 (25-18, 25-15, 24-26, 25-16) win on Sunday. Himeji’s outside Rui Nonaka was the top scorer of the second game with 22 points, including three aces and a block.

Denso Airybees Koriyama also produced two upsets of Gunma Green Wings and climbed a spot up the table to ninth place on 12-12 and 36, bringing their rivals two positions down to seventh on 15-11 and 34. Middle blocker Sachi Minowa (six kill blocks) and Brazilian opposite Rosamaria Montibeller (two aces) led Denso to a 3-1 (20-25, 25-17, 25-20, 25-16) victory on Saturday, despite an impressive match high of 31 points from Gunma’s Polish opposite Olivia Rozanski. Rosamaria and Rozanski shared the top scorer honors with 15 points each in Sunday’s 3-0 (25-22, 25-23, 25-21) straight-setter.

Saitama Ageo Medics also overtook Gunma in the table and ascended to sixth place on 14-10 and 39 after two road wins over Astemo Rivale Ibaraki, who kept their 11^th place, now on 8-16 and 26. In Saturday’s thriller, Astemo took a two-set lead, but Ageo managed a 3-2 (26-28, 18-25, 25-23, 30-28, 15-12) reverse sweep with outside and captain Mami Uchiseto leading the team with 23 points, while her Astemo counterpart Miwako Osanai delivered a match-high 32 points. In Sunday’s 3-0 (26-24, 25-17, 25-19) shutout, American opposite Izabella Rapacz powered Ageo to success with a match-high 21 points.

Table leaders NEC Red Rockets Kawasaki and defending champions Osaka Marvelous did not allow any surprises in their match-ups this weekend, although NEC were pushed to five sets in Saturday’s 3-2 (20-25, 25-16, 23-25, 25-13, 15-13) home win over Kurobe Aqua Fairies. American outside Giovanna Day led Red Rockets with 27 points that day. In the second match, the home team mastered a dominant 3-0 (25-19, 25-13, 25-21) sweep with a match-high 23 points from Italian opposite Sylvia Nwakalor. NEC improved to 22-2 and 61 on top of the standings, while Kurobe descended two positions to 10^th place on 12-12 and 34.

Belgian opposite Lise Van Hecke contributed a match-high 16 points towards Osaka Marvelous’s 3-0 (25-21, 25-21, 25-20) sweep of their first game against Okayama Seagulls. Outside hitter Kotona Hayashi led the way to Osaka’s 3-1 (19-25, 25-22, 25-12, 25-22) comeback win in the second match with a team-high 18 points, including three blocks and an ace. Okayama’s outside Yuzu Nakamoto emerged as the best scorer of that match with 22 points, all in swings. Marvelous are still in third place on 18-8 and 56, while Seagulls are third from the bottom, in 12^th place on 3-21 and 12.

Another full set of seven double headers is coming up next weekend, January 24 and 25.

Women’s SV.League 2025-2026 14th leg:
Jan 24, 12:05 local (03:05 UTC): Osaka Marvelous v Toray Arrows Shiga
Jan 24, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): PFU BlueCats Ishikawa Kahoku v Gunma Green Wings
Jan 24, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Aranmare Yamagata v Queenseis Kariya
Jan 24, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): NEC Red Rockets Kawasaki v Astemo Rivale Ibaraki
Jan 24, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Victorina Himeji v Saitama Ageo Medics
Jan 24, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Okayama Seagulls v Kurobe Aqua Fairies
Jan 24, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Saga Hisamitsu Springs v Denso Airybees Koriyama
Jan 25, 12:05 local (03:05 UTC): Osaka Marvelous v Toray Arrows Shiga
Jan 25, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): PFU BlueCats Ishikawa Kahoku v Gunma Green Wings
Jan 25, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): Aranmare Yamagata v Queenseis Kariya
Jan 25, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): NEC Red Rockets Kawasaki v Astemo Rivale Ibaraki
Jan 25, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Victorina Himeji v Saitama Ageo Medics
Jan 25, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Okayama Seagulls v Kurobe Aqua Fairies
Jan 25, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Saga Hisamitsu Springs v Denso Airybees Koriyama

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