Italian opposite Sylvia Nwakalor spearheaded NEC Red Rockets Kawasaki to two five-set home wins over defending champions Osaka Marvelous in the big match-up of the third-leg of the women’s Daido Life SV.League in Japan to help keep her team undefeated in six matches played since the start of the new season.
SV-Women 2025-2026
Nwakalor on fire as Red Rockets win two five-setters against Marvelous in Japan
Recap of women’s SV.League 3rd-leg matches
Published 12:54, 26 Oct 2025
NEC Red Rockets Kawasaki’s Sylvia Nwakalor in attack against Osaka Marvelous
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In the leg opener on Friday evening, NEC Red Rockets Kawasaki celebrated a 3-2 (25-23, 25-23, 21-25, 17-25, 15-13) win over Osaka Marvelous. Sylvia Nwakalor contributed 23 points, including one block, while her Belgian counterpart Lise Van Hecke put away a match-high 26 points for Osaka, featuring three aces and also including one kill block. On Saturday, Nwakalor raised four kill blocks and emerged as the best scorer with a total of 28 points towards NEC’s tight 3-2 (22-25, 17-25, 25-18, 26-24, 19-17) comeback victory. The two points lost cost the Red Rockets their first place in the table. They descended to second in the current standings, still undefeated on a 6-0 win-loss ratio and 16 points. Osaka are in ninth place on 2-4 and 9.
Victorina Himeji took over the top of the table on 6-0 and 17 after two straight-set wins over Aranmare Yamagata at home. On Saturday, outside hitter Rui Nonaka spearheaded Himeji to a 3-0 (25-14, 25-22, 25-15) victory with a match-high 23 points, including four kill blocks. On Sunday, Italian striker Camilla Mingardi was the best scorer of the match with 14 points, as the hosts hammered out a 3-0 (25-12, 25-17, 25-18) shutout. Aranmare trail bottom, in 14th place on 0-6 and 0.
Kurobe Aqua Fairies also stayed undefeated after their home double header against Queenseis Kariya and occupy third place on 6-0 and 15. In the first game, they came back from two sets down to mount a 3-2 (23-25, 16-25, 25-22, 25-23, 19-17) reverse sweep. German outside Lena Stigrot led the winners with 24 points, while Kariya’s American opposite Danielle Cuttino delivered a match-high 31 points, including four kill blocks. Outside Rimi Kaneda was Kurobe’s leading scorer in Sunday’s 3-1 (27-25, 20-25, 25-18, 25-19) victory with 17 points, including two aces. The best scorer of the match was once again on the other side of the net, but this time it was Russian outside Sofya Kuznetsova with as many as 29 points. On 2-4 and 7, Kariya occupy 11th place in the table.
Denso Airybees Koriyama suffered two home losses to Saga Hisamitsu Springs in straight sets and fell to fifth place on 3-3 and 9, staying above sixth-placed Saga, also on 3-3 and 9, solely on set ratio. The visitors started off with a 3-0 (25-20, 25-22, 25-18) sweep of the first match on the wings of a match-high 18 points by Greek outside Olga Strantzali. On Sunday, American opposite Stephanie Samedy led the way to a 3-0 (25-18, 25-21, 28-26) victory with 14 points, while her Brazilian counterpart Rosamaria Montibeller piled up 20 points for Denso.
Gunma Green Wings, who finished bottom of the table last season, are already having a much better season now, especially after adding another two wins to their record this weekend and improving to 3-3 and 8 in seventh place. They beat their visitors PFU BlueCats Ishikawa Kahoku by 3-1 (25-21, 25-22, 17-25, 25-20) on Saturday, led by Polish outside Olivia Rozanski with 22 points, including three kill blocks. Her PFU counterpart Miyu Kawazoe was the best scorer of the match with 23 points. A five-set battle unfolded on Sunday. Gunma came back from a set down twice during the game and eventually claimed a 3-2 (21-25, 25-22, 16-25, 25-22, 15-12) victory. Rozanski topped the chart with a solid 32 points to her name. PFU stand 10th in the table on 2-4 and 8.
In a double header between two winless teams, Toray Arrows Shiga managed to score their first two victories of the season to improve to 2-4 and 5 in 12th place, while Okayama Seagulls settled for their first point of the season and also climbed one position up the standings, to 13th place on 0-6 and 1. Toray Arrows took the full three points from the first match of their visit to Okayama with a 3-1 (22-25, 25-22, 25-17, 25-23) comeback win, spearheaded by French opposite Lucille Gicquel with a match-high 24 points, including three blocks. The second match was pushed to five sets, but Toray found a way back from a set down twice during the game to claim another victory, by 3-2 (19-25, 26-24, 22-25, 31-29, 15-11). Gicquel hammered out a fantastic leg-high 37 points towards her team’s success.
A full set of seven double headers will be played next weekend as the fourth leg unfolds on November 1 and 2.
Women’s SV.League 2025-2026 4th leg:
Nov 01, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): Okayama Seagulls v Osaka Marvelous
Nov 01, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): PFU BlueCats Ishikawa Kahoku v Denso Airybees Koriyama
Nov 01, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): Queenseis Kariya v Aranmare Yamagata
Nov 01, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Astemo Rivale Ibaraki v NEC Red Rockets Kawasaki
Nov 01, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Kurobe Aqua Fairies v Gunma Green Wings
Nov 01, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Victorina Himeji v Saga Hisamitsu Springs
Nov 01, 15:05 local (06:05 UTC): Toray Arrows Shiga v Saitama Ageo Medics
Nov 02, 12:05 local (03:05 UTC): Okayama Seagulls v Osaka Marvelous
Nov 02, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): PFU BlueCats Ishikawa Kahoku v Denso Airybees Koriyama
Nov 02, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): Queenseis Kariya v Aranmare Yamagata
Nov 02, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Astemo Rivale Ibaraki v NEC Red Rockets Kawasaki
Nov 02, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Kurobe Aqua Fairies v Gunma Green Wings
Nov 02, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Victorina Himeji v Saga Hisamitsu Springs
Nov 02, 15:05 local (06:05 UTC): Toray Arrows Shiga v Saitama Ageo Medics
