Three of the top five teams in the women’s Daido Life SV.League standings suffered shocking defeats over the weekend as the seven double headers of the ninth leg unfolded. This allowed leaders Osaka Marvelous to widen the gap at the top, while Denso Airybees Koriyama climbed one spot up to second place in the table.
SV-Women 2024-2025
Top teams stunned in Japan
Recap of women’s SV.League ninth-leg matches
Published 08:18, 08 Dec 2024
Belgian top scorer Lise Van Hecke and her Osaka Marvelous teammates did not allow any surprises this weekend
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Saitama Ageo Medics, who were second in the standings before the weekend, were stunned at home on Saturday by Queenseis Kariya, who came back from two sets down to mount a 3-2 (13-25, 22-25, 25-18, 25-21, 15-8) victory, inspired by Belgian opposite Kaja Grobelna with 30 points, including three aces and three kill blocks. With Serbian star Sara Lozo now in play, Ageo took their revenge on Sunday with a 3-0 (25-21, 25-19, 25-19) shutout of Kariya. Their captain Yuka Sato was the best scorer of the team with 15 points, while Grobelna topped the charts again with 22. Following these results, Ageo dropped to third place on a 12-4 win-loss ratio and 36 points, while Kariya stayed in 10th place on 6-10 and 19.
Defending SV.League champions and participants in the FIVB Volleyball Women’s Club World Championship later this month NEC Red Rockets Kawasaki, running fourth in the standings, lived up to their status of favourites on Saturday at 11th-placed Kurobe Aqua Fairies and hammered out a 3-0 (25-15, 25-18, 25-22) shutout, with Yoshino Sato and Yukiko Wada leading the way with 14 points apiece. On Sunday, however, the home team shocked the champions in a 3-2 (25-23, 25-20, 16-25, 21-25, 15-10) five-setter, with Dutch striker Iris Scholten contributing a match-high 24 points. NEC Red Rockets now stand on 11-5 and 36, while Kurobe are on 6-12 and 17.
Fifth-placed Victorina Himeji also suffered in one of the matches of their away double header at Okayama Seagulls. On Saturday, Okayama delighted the home fans with a 3-2 (21-25, 32-30, 25-23, 13-25, 15-11) victory, spearheaded by captain Syuka Kaneda with 23 points and despite an impressive 41-point match high from Himeji’s Thai star Chatchu-On Moksri. Another five-set battle unfolded on Sunday, but this time the visitors were the winners – 3-2 (17-25, 25-19, 25-16, 23-25, 15-11). Chatchu-On topped the charts with 27 points. Japanese international Arisa Inoue added another 26 for the winners. Himeji kept their fifth place, now on 11-5 and 29, while Okayama remained third from the bottom, in 12th place, now on 4-10 and 14.
Denso Airybees Koriyama achieved a couple of home wins over Toray Arrows Shiga and ascended to second place on 14-4 and 42. Toray Arrows, on the other hand, fell two spots to eighth place on 10-8 and 28. Saturday’s match was a straight-set affair, 3-0 (25-21, 25-21, 25-20), with Brazilian opposite Rosamaria Montibeller contributing a match-high 18 points. On Sunday, Denso lost the second set, but still collected three points after a 3-1 (25-17, 21-25, 25-20, 25-18) win. With 20 points to her name, Rosamaria was once again the best scorer of the match, while her Colombian teammate Amanda Coneo impressed with five kill blocks to finish with 19 points.
Table leaders Osaka Marvelous expectedly took home the full six points from their visit to table trailers Gunma Green Wings and improved to 13-3 and 39, leaving their hosts winless on 0-14 and 1. Osaka allowed Gunma to win one set on Saturday, but still beat them in four, 3-1 (25-20, 21-25, 25-17, 25-11). Belgian opposite Lise Van Hecke raised five kill blocks to finish on a match-high 25 points. Sunday’s resolution came in straight sets, with Van Hecke contributing 22 points to Osaka’s 3-0 (25-16, 25-20, 25-21) sweep.
Astemo Rivale Ibaraki climbed one spot up to sixth place on 10-6 and 27 after two home victories over PFU BlueCats Ishikawa Kahoku – 3-1 (27-29, 25-22, 25-13, 25-21) on Saturday with a 23-point match high from American opposite Mackenzie May, and 3-0 (25-23, 25-20, 25-23) on Sunday with May leading the way again with 18 points. PFU are in ninth place on 7-11 and 20.
Saga Hisamitsu Springs also rose one place to seventh on 10-8 and 32 after two away wins at 13th-placed Aranmare Yamagata, who dropped to 2-16 and 8. In Saturday’s hard-fought 3-0 (28-26, 26-24, 25-19) sweep, Saga were led by Megumi Fukazawa with 15 points. Miyu Nakagawa hammered a match-high 16 points to lead the team to a speedy 3-0 (25-16, 25-21, 25-16) shutout on Sunday.
After a break for the Empress’s Cup tournament, SV.League action will resume with another seven double headers on December 28 and 29.
Women’s SV.League 2024-2025 10th leg:
Dec 28, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): Astemo Rivale Ibaraki v NEC Red Rockets Kawasaki
Dec 28, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): Saitama Ageo Medics v Toray Arrows Shiga
Dec 28, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): Kurobe Aqua Fairies v Saga Hisamitsu Springs
Dec 28, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): PFU BlueCats Ishikawa Kahoku v Okayama Seagulls
Dec 28, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): Osaka Marvelous v Aranmare Yamagata
Dec 28, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): Victorina Himeji v Queenseis Kariya
Dec 28, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Gunma Green Wings v Denso Airybees Koriyama
Dec 29, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): Astemo Rivale Ibaraki v NEC Red Rockets Kawasaki
Dec 29, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): Saitama Ageo Medics v Toray Arrows Shiga
Dec 29, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): Kurobe Aqua Fairies v Saga Hisamitsu Springs
Dec 29, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): PFU BlueCats Ishikawa Kahoku v Okayama Seagulls
Dec 29, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): Osaka Marvelous v Aranmare Yamagata
Dec 29, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Victorina Himeji v Queenseis Kariya
Dec 29, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Gunma Green Wings v Denso Airybees Koriyama
