PFU upset Osaka in Japan’s SV.League

PFU BlueCats Ishikawa Kahoku achieved the most surprising results of the 10^th leg in the women’s Daido Life SV.League in Japan. In their double header against Osaka Marvelous, they pushed the defending champions and reigning Empress’s Cup laureates to five sets on day one and beat them in four on day two.

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In one of the seven double headers played in the SV.League from Saturday to Monday, PFU BlueCats Ishikawa Kahoku won the first two sets of their first match against Osaka Marvelous before allowing the champions a 3-2 (21-25, 20-25, 25-16, 25-22, 15-11) reverse sweep. Belgian opposite Lise Van Hecke came in as a substitution for Osaka and led them to victory with a team-high 22 points, while her PFU counterpart Melissa Valdes raised three kill blocks towards a match-high 25 points. Sunday’s game unfolded similarly in the first three sets, but the home team managed to prevent another turnaround and closed the match in the fourth, 3-1 (25-17, 25-23, 22-25, 25-22). With another three stuffs and 18 successful swings, Valdes shared the top scorer honors with Van Hecke, who tallied 19 points in attack and two in blocking. This win allowed PFU to keep their sixth place in the current standings, now on a 11-9 win-loss ratio and 38 points. Osaka also stayed put, in fourth place, on 13-7 and 41.

Marvelous are now above fifth-placed Gunma Green Wings only on points, as the latter caught up on win-loss ratios after two away wins over Saitama Ageo Medics. Polish outside hitter Olivia Rozanski was on fire in Sunday’s match, when she led Gunma with 31 successful spikes, six kill blocks and three aces, or an impressive total of 40 points, to a 3-2 (25-22, 25-23, 18-25, 21-25, 15-6) victory. In the leg’s closing match on Monday, Gunma hammered out a 3-0 (26-24, 25-21, 25-14) shutout of Ageo, with Rozanski and team captain Minami Takaso sharing the top scorer honors with 13 points apiece. Gunma stand fifth on 13-7 and 38, while Ageo stayed in 10^th place, now on 8-10 and 24.

In the highest-profile match-up of the weekend, table leaders NEC Red Rockets Kawasaki celebrated two road victories over third-placed Victorina Himeji to keep their all-time head-to-head record against this opponent in the league impeccable, at 15-0 in wins. American outside hitter Giovanna Day (two aces) and Italian opposite Sylvia Nwakalor (two stuffs) led NEC Red Rockets to a 3-1 (32-34, 25-21, 25-15, 25-17) win on Saturday with 22 points each. Nwakalor topped the chart in Sunday’s 3-1 (25-17, 25-21, 23-25, 25-16) win with 21 points, including four blocks and an ace. NEC lead the standings on 18-2 and 50, while Himeji remained in third place on 14-6 and 39.

Second-placed Saga Hisamitsu Springs improved to 16-4 and 44 after two home wins over Okayama Seagulls, standing 12^th, now on 3-17 and 12. Saturday’s match, however, was resolved only in the tie-breaker, 3-2 (25-21, 23-25, 23-25, 25-22, 15-4), with a match-high 29 points from American opposite Stephanie Samedy. With another 24 points to her name, Samedy was also the best scorer in Sunday’s 3-0 (25-18, 27-25, 25-23) sweep.

Queenseis Kariya achieved two home victories over Denso Airybees Koriyama to stay in seventh place, now on 11-9 and 35, while pushing the opponents down a spot, to ninth on 9-11 and 27. The first game was a one-sided 3-0 (25-21, 25-17, 25-19) straight-set affair, with a match-high 17 points from outside and captain Hinata Shigihara. Sunday’s match was a bit more competitive, but the three points went to Kariya again, 3-1 (25-18, 20-25, 27-25, 25-20), with Russian outside Sofya Kuznetsova leading the way with 25 points.

Kurobe Aqua Fairies climbed a spot to eighth place on 11-9 and 30 after defeating their visitors, bottom-placed Aranmare Yamagata, twice – an emphatic 3-0 (25-20, 25-20, 25-17) with a match-high 19 points from Dutch opposite Iris Scholten on Saturday, and a dramatic 3-2 (24-26, 23-25, 25-20, 25-14, 17-15) with Scholten and Aranmare’s Thai outside Ajcharaporn Kongyot splitting the top scorer honors with 23 points each on Sunday. Despite the point earned, the squad from Yamagata is still stuck in 14^th place, on 1-19 and 4.

Astemo Rivale Ibaraki registered two home wins over Toray Arrows Shiga and improved to 7-11 and 23 in 11^th place. Toray Arrows are second from the bottom, in 13^th place on 3-17 and 9. American outside Mackenzie May spearheaded Astemo towards Saturday’s 3-1 (25-16, 20-25, 25-18, 25-21) victory with a match-high 27 points, including four aces, and to Sunday’s 3-0 (25-19, 25-20, 25-19) sweep with a match-high 16 points.

Next weekend, January 3 and 4, the SV.League program will offer only three double headers.

Women’s SV.League 2025-2026 11th leg:
Jan 03, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): Gunma Green Wings v Astemo Rivale Ibaraki
Jan 03, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): Saitama Ageo Medics v Queenseis Kariya
Jan 03, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Victorina Himeji v Osaka Marvelous
Jan 04, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): Gunma Green Wings v Astemo Rivale Ibaraki
Jan 04, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): Saitama Ageo Medics v Queenseis Kariya
Jan 04, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Victorina Himeji v Osaka Marvelous

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