Osaka against Saga in race for second place in Japan

The upcoming weekend in the women’s Daido Life SV.League in Japan will offer a complete set of seven double headers, highlighted by a top-caliber clash between defending champions Osaka Marvelous and Saga Hisamitsu Springs in a race for the second place in the current standings. The competition day programs for Saturday and Sunday, January 10 and 11, are exactly the same in terms of starting times of the matches.

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Osaka Marvelous, currently running in third place on a 15-7 win-loss ratio and 46 points, will welcome Saga Hisamitsu Springs to the Nishinomiya City Central Gymnasium on Saturday and Sunday at 14:05 local time (05:05 UTC). Saga are in second place on 16-4 and 44, with two games in hand. Even with two wins this weekend, the champions will not be able to surpass their opponents in the table in terms of win-loss ratios, but will substantially narrow the gap and increase their advantage in terms of ranking points. Osaka have heavily prevailed in recent encounters with Saga, riding on a six-match winning streak in their head-to-head league meetings and allowing the opponents only two sets in total during that run.

Table leaders NEC Red Rockets Kawasaki will travel to Toray Arrows Shiga this weekend. The two games at the Shiga Daihatsu Arena will serve off at 15:05 (06:05). NEC stand on 18-2 and 50 in first place, while Toray Arrows are second from the bottom, in 13^th place on 3-17 and 9, and will try to snap out of a nine-game losing streak in the league.

Fourth-placed Gunma Green Wings will host Queenseis Kariya at the Takasaki Arena with the matches starting at 13:05 (04:05). Gunma stand on 14-8 and 44, while Kariya occupy eighth place on 11-11 and 37. This will be the second double header between these two teams this season. They traded four-set victories at the Kariya City Gymnasium in Aichi, when they met in October.

Victorina Himeji, placed fifth on 14-8 and 40, will play on the road this weekend. They will visit Astemo Rivale Ibaraki at the Hitachinaka City Sports Park Total Gymnastics. The matches are scheduled at 14:05 (05:05). Astemo stand in 11^th place on 8-12 and 25.

Sixth-placed PFU BlueCats Ishikawa Kahoku are traveling to Okayama Seagulls for two games at the Shigeto Arena Okayama serving off at 14:05 (05:05) on Saturday and Sunday. PFU stand on 11-9 and 38, while their hosts are third from the bottom, in 12^th place on 3-17 and 12. The team from Kahoku swept both matches of their previous double header with Okayama this season at home in October in straight sets.

Kurobe Aqua Fairies will entertain Denso Airybees Koriyama at the Kurobe City Gymnastics Center for two games starting at 14:05 (05:05) on Saturday and Sunday. Kurobe are seventh on 11-9 and 30, while Denso are 10^th on 9-11 and 27.

The Ageo Citizen Gymnasium will host the matches between Saitama Ageo Medics and Aranmare Yamagata with starting times 13:05 (04:05). The home team is in ninth place on 10-10 and 28, while Aranmare trail bottom, in 14^th place on 1-19 and 4.

Women’s SV.League 2025-2026 12th leg:
Jan 10, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): Gunma Green Wings v Queenseis Kariya
Jan 10, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): Saitama Ageo Medics v Aranmare Yamagata
Jan 10, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Astemo Rivale Ibaraki v Victorina Himeji
Jan 10, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Kurobe Aqua Fairies v Denso Airybees Koriyama
Jan 10, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Osaka Marvelous v Saga Hisamitsu Springs
Jan 10, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Okayama Seagulls v PFU BlueCats Ishikawa Kahoku
Jan 10, 15:05 local (06:05 UTC): Toray Arrows Shiga v NEC Red Rockets Kawasaki
Jan 11, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): Gunma Green Wings v Queenseis Kariya
Jan 11, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): Saitama Ageo Medics v Aranmare Yamagata
Jan 11, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Astemo Rivale Ibaraki v Victorina Himeji
Jan 11, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Kurobe Aqua Fairies v Denso Airybees Koriyama
Jan 11, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Osaka Marvelous v Saga Hisamitsu Springs
Jan 11, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Okayama Seagulls v PFU BlueCats Ishikawa Kahoku
Jan 11, 15:05 local (06:05 UTC): Toray Arrows Shiga v NEC Red Rockets Kawasaki

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