NEC Red Rockets stay unbeaten in Japan

NEC Red Rockets Kawasaki stayed undefeated since the start of the season after adding two wins at Denso Airybees Koriyama to their record, as the games of the fifth leg unfolded in the women’s Daido Life SV.League in Japan this weekend. Meanwhile, Victorina Himeji surged to second place in the current standings.

• Watch Japan's SV.League on VBTV

Saturday’s match between Denso Airybees Koriyama and NEC Red Rockets Kawasaki was pushed to five sets. Denso came back from a set down twice before NEC Red Rockets could celebrate a 3-2 (25-20, 18-25, 25-20, 24-26, 15-10) victory. Italian opposite Sylvia Nwakalor was above all, with three kill blocks and 28 spike kills towards a match-high 31 points for the winners. Sunday’s game was way more one-sided and the visitors got the job done in straight sets, 3-0 (25-22, 25-21, 25-20). Nwakalor raised another three kill blocks towards a match-high 19 points. After this weekend, NEC Red Rockets top the table on a 10-0 win-loss ratio and 27 points, while Denso are in 10^th place on 4-6 and 12.

In another double header this weekend, Saitama Ageo Medics and Victorina Himeji traded victories at the Saiden Chemical Arena in Saitama. The first game unfolded in five sets with the home team celebrating a 3-2 (18-25, 25-15, 25-23, 22-25, 15-11) win. Opposite Fuyumi Okumuoba led the winners with 22 points, all in swings, while Himeji’s outside Rui Nonaka emerged as the best scorer of the match with 25 points, including three blocks and an ace. In the leg’s closing match, Himeji took their revenge with a 3-1 (25-21, 18-25, 25-19, 25-21) victory. This time their Italian opposite Camilla Mingardi was on fire with a match-high 36 points, including two blocks and an ace. Himeji climbed one spot to second place in the table on 7-3 and 22, while Ageo descended one spot to fifth place on 5-3 and 15.

Saga Hisamitsu Springs achieved two hard-fought road wins at Gunma Green Wings to climb to third place on 7-3 and 19, and leave the opponents in ninth on 4-6 and 13. The first game was resolved after four sets – 3-1 (25-21, 25-23, 17-25, 25-19) with American opposite Stephanie Samedy contributing a match-high 20 points, all in swings. The second was pushed to five sets and was resolved deep into the overtime of the tie-breaker, but it was the visitors again who celebrated victory, 3-2 (25-22, 23-25, 18-25, 25-22, 23-21). Samedy led the way again, this time with 30 points, including one ace.

Defending champions Osaka Marvelous pocketed six points from their home double header against Kurobe Aqua Fairies and improved to 6-4 and 21 in sixth place. Kurobe dropped to fourth place on 7-3 and 17. Outside hitter Ameze Miyabe chipped in with a match-high 19 points, including four blocks, towards Saturday’s 3-0 (25-21, 28-26, 25-18) sweep. Belgian opposite Lise Van Hecke was the best scorer of Sunday’s 3-1 (25-22, 28-26, 20-25, 25-14) victory, with 26 points under her belt, including two blocks.

Queenseis Kariya produced two home wins over Astemo Rivale Ibaraki, one in five and one in straight sets, to improve to 6-4 and 18 and keep their seventh place, while pushing their visitors down a spot to 11^th place on 3-5 and 10. In Saturday’s 3-2 (22-25, 17-25, 25-20, 25-16, 15-10) reverse sweep, American opposite Danielle Cuttino led Kariya with a match-high 29 points, including three aces and two blocks. In Sunday’s 3-0 (25-17, 32-20, 25-21) shutout, Russian outside Sofya Kuznetsova hammered out an impressive 28-point match high, including four blocks.

PFU BlueCats Ishikawa Kahoku earned the full six points from their home double header against Toray Arrows Shiga and ascended three positions to eighth place on 5-5 and 18. Toray Arrows stayed third from the bottom, in 12^th place, now on 2-9 and 5. PFU beat their visitors by a convincing 3-0 (25-23, 25-20, 25-18) on Saturday with a match-high 20 points, including three kill blocks, from opposite Melissa Valdes, and by 3-1 (25-17, 20-25, 25-23, 25-19) on Sunday with a team-high 18 points, including one ace, from Valdes, while her French counterpart Lucille Gicquel topped the charts with 26 points, including three blocks, for Toray Arrows.

In the clash at the very bottom of the table, Aranmare Yamagata and Okayama Seagulls exchanged straight-set victories, their first wins of the season. On Saturday, the visitors from Okayama squeezed out a tight 3-0 (25-20, 26-24, 26-24) win with opposite Rinka Komatsubara leading the way with 19 points, including one block. Aranmare’s Thai outside Ajcharaporn Kongyot topped the charts with 20, including one ace. On Sunday, the score went the other way, another tight 3-0 (26-24, 25-23, 25-14), but this time in favor of the home team. Their opposite Kaho Wakaizumi led the way with 23 points, including one block. This way, the two teams kept their places at the bottom of the table – Okayma in 13^th on 1-9 and 4, and Aranmare in 14^th on 1-9 and 3.

Another full set of seven double headers will be played next weekend as the sixth leg unfolds on November 15 and 16.

Women’s SV.League 2025-2026 sixth leg:
Nov 15, 12:05 local (03:05 UTC): Osaka Marvelous v Queenseis Kariya
Nov 15, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): Denso Airybees Koriyama v Saitama Ageo Medics
Nov 15, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Aranmare Yamagata v Gunma Green Wings
Nov 15, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): NEC Red Rockets Kawasaki v PFU BlueCats Ishikawa Kahoku
Nov 15, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Okayama Seagulls v Victorina Himeji
Nov 15, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Saga Hisamitsu Springs v Astemo Rivale Ibaraki
Nov 15, 15:05 local (06:05 UTC): Toray Arrows Shiga v Kurobe Aqua Fairies
Nov 16, 12:05 local (03:05 UTC): Osaka Marvelous v Queenseis Kariya
Nov 16, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): Denso Airybees Koriyama v Saitama Ageo Medics
Nov 16, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): Aranmare Yamagata v Gunma Green Wings
Nov 16, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): NEC Red Rockets Kawasaki v PFU BlueCats Ishikawa Kahoku
Nov 16, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Okayama Seagulls v Victorina Himeji
Nov 16, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Saga Hisamitsu Springs v Astemo Rivale Ibaraki
Nov 16, 15:05 local (06:05 UTC): Toray Arrows Shiga v Kurobe Aqua Fairies

Quick links:
Japanese SV.League - women
VBTV
Volleyball World Facebook
Volleyball World X
Volleyball World Instagram
Volleyball World YouTube
Subscribe to Volleyball World's Newsletter