Yoshino Sato above all in NEC’s two five-set wins at Denso

In the highest-level clash of the 14^th leg of the women’s Daido Life SV.League in Japan this weekend, fourth-placed NEC Red Rockets Kawasaki squeezed out two five-set away wins over second-placed Denso Airybees Koriyama. There were plenty of upsets in the remaining double headers of the leg as well.

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On Saturday, NEC Red Rockets Kawasaki came back from a set down twice during their game at Denso Airybees Koriyama to emerge with a 3-2 (21-25, 25-18, 25-27, 25-13, 15-13) victory. Outside hitter Yoshino Sato was above all with 31 points for the defending champions, including two aces and a kill block. Her Brazilian teammate Lorrayna Marys added another 23 points, including four blocks. Another Brazilian, Denso’s opposite Rosamaria Montibeller, however, impressed with six kill blocks to finish with a total of 18 points, while Colombian outside Amanda Coneo led the home team with 22 points.

Sato was on fire again on Sunday, putting away a match-high 30 points towards another 3-2 (25-10, 25-22, 18-25, 21-25, 15-11) win. She fired an ace and raised four kill blocks in the game. Rosamaria was Denso’s most prolific scorer with 26 points. The two teams kept their positions in the current standings, but fourth-placed NEC improved to an 18-8 win-loss ratio and 54 points, while Denso stand second on 21-7 and 65.

Meanwhile, Victorina Himeji and Saitama Ageo Medics swapped their spots in the table after their head-to-head double encounter this weekend. Ageo produced two four-set wins on the road at Himeji and climbed from fifth to third place on 18-8 and 55, pushing their opponents down from third to fifth on 17-9 and 47. In the first match, Slovenian opposite Nika Markovic contributed a match-high 25 points towards Ageo’s 3-1 (25-22, 18-25, 25-19, 25-22) victory. In the second, outside hitter and captain Yuka Sato took the role of Ageo’s leading scorer and put away 22 points towards another 3-1 (28-30, 25-22, 25-23, 25-18) success, while Himeji’s international middle blocker Airi Miyabe impressed with six stuffs towards a match-high 23 points.

Table toppers Osaka Marvelous mastered two straight-set wins on the road at sixth-placed Saga Hisamitsu Springs and widened their lead improving to 22-4 and 67. Saga stand on 17-11 and 53. Outside hitter and captain Mizuki Tanaka powered Osaka to Saturday’s hard-fought 3-0 (28-26, 25-23, 25-22) shutout with 16 points, while her cross-court teammate Kotona Hayashi led the squad to Sunday’s 3-0 (25-23, 25-19, 25-16) sweep with 17 points, when Saga’s American opposite Stephanie Samedy produced a match-high 20 points.

Astemo Rivale Ibaraki and Kurobe Aqua Fairies exchanged three-point victories. Hosts Astemo celebrated a 3-1 (25-22, 27-29, 25-21, 25-22) win on the first day of the double header with a 25-point match high from outside and captain Miwako Osanai. On the second day, however, Kurobe hammered out a 3-0 (25-17, 25-22, 25-18) upset of Astemo with a 22-point match high from their German outside Lena Stigrot. It was Kurobe’s first ever win over Astemo in the 16 matches the two clubs have played so far. The two sides kept their places in the standings – Astemo in seventh on 15-11 and 43, and Kurobe in 12^th on 10-18 and 28.

11^th-placed Okayama Seagulls also produced an upset on the road, a 3-2 (25-17, 25-19, 25-27, 18-25, 15-13) win over eighth-placed Toray Arrows Shiga on Saturday, despite a fantastic match high of 37 points from Toray Arrows’ Italian opposite Sylvia Nwakalor. Okayama were led by outside Yuzu Nakamoto with 26 points. The squad from Shiga got back at their guests on Sunday with a 3-0 (25-14, 25-18, 25-19) shutout with 19 points from Nwakalor. Toray Arrows stand on 14-14 and 40, while Okayama are on 9-15 and 28.

Table neighbours Queenseis Kariya and PFU BlueCats Ishikawa Kahoku also exchanged wins this weekend to stay 10^th on 10-16 and 31, and ninth on 11-17 and 32, respectively. PFU achieved a 3-0 (25-18, 25-23, 25-23) shutout of their hosts on Saturday, led by opposite Melissa Valdes with 23 points. The home team reacted with a 3-1 (22-25, 26-24, 25-22, 25-21) comeback win on Sunday with their Belgian opposite Kaja Grobelna topping the match charts with 25 points.

Aranmare Yamagata won the duel at the very bottom of the table, claiming two wins over their hosts Gunma Green Wings, who remain winless on 0-24 and 2 in 14^th place. Aranmare secured the three points on Saturday with a 3-1 (25-23, 25-20, 27-29, 25-20) victory with 19 points from Ukrainian outside Oleksandra Bytsenko, but on Sunday the two sides put up a five-set battle, with the visitors once again rejoicing victorious, 3-2 (25-21, 27-29, 15-25, 25-22, 15-11), this time with a 28-point match high from Bytsenko. Aranmare are still second from the bottom, in 13^th place on 4-24 and 13.

Another full set of seven double headers are coming up next weekend, February 8 and 9.

Women’s SV.League 2024-2025 15th leg:
Feb 08, 12:05 local (03:05 UTC): Astemo Rivale Ibaraki v Queenseis Kariya
Feb 08, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): PFU BlueCats Ishikawa Kahoku v Osaka Marvelous
Feb 08, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): Okayama Seagulls v Denso Airybees Koriyama
Feb 08, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): Saitama Ageo Medics v NEC Red Rockets Kawasaki
Feb 08, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): Kurobe Aqua Fairies v Gunma Green Wings
Feb 08, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Aranmare Yamagata v Toray Arrows Shiga
Feb 08, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Saga Hisamitsu Springs v Victorina Himeji
Feb 09, 12:05 local (03:05 UTC): Astemo Rivale Ibaraki v Queenseis Kariya
Feb 09, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): PFU BlueCats Ishikawa Kahoku v Osaka Marvelous
Feb 09, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): Okayama Seagulls v Denso Airybees Koriyama
Feb 09, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): Saitama Ageo Medics v NEC Red Rockets Kawasaki
Feb 09, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): Kurobe Aqua Fairies v Gunma Green Wings
Feb 09, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): Aranmare Yamagata v Toray Arrows Shiga
Feb 09, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Saga Hisamitsu Springs v Victorina Himeji

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