KENTO MIYAURA POWERS AICHI TO TWO FIVE-SET WINS AT TOKYO

Recap of men’s SV.League fifth-leg matches

JTEKT Stings Aichi celebrate their win over Tokyo Great Bears on Sunday (source: @JTEKTSTINGS)

The most anticipated double header of the fifth leg in the men’s Daido Life SV.League in Japan paid off with two spectacular five-setters. Star opposite Kento Miyaura spearheaded second-placed JTEKT Stings Aichi to two tie-breaker wins over their hosts Tokyo Great Bears to widen the gap from the third place in the current standings.

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In front of over three thousand spectators on each of the two competition days at the Yoyogi National Stadium 2nd Gymnasium, JTEKT Stings Aichi achieved five-set victories over Tokyo Great Bears to improve to a 9-1 win-loss record and 23 points. Tokyo fell three spots to sixth place on 5-5 and 15.

On Saturday, Aichi celebrated a 3-2 (25-23, 22-25, 21-25, 25-23, 15-13) win with Kento Miyaura leading the way with 19 points, including one kill block. Brazilian outside hitter Ricardo Lucarelli added another 14 points, including two aces, while middle blocker Go Murayama finished with 12, including four blocks and one ace. Tokyo’s Polish opposite Maciej Muzaj was the top scorer of the match with 24 points, four of them in blocking and two in serving.

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On the next day, Miyaura hammered out a match-high 28 points (three aces, one block) towards a tight 3-2 (20-25, 25-14, 29-31, 26-24, 15-11) win. American outside Torey DeFalco was also on fire with 22 points (one block). Lucarelli chipped in with 13 (two aces, two blocks). Muzaj led the home side again with 22 points (four blocks, two aces).

“The whole team played well and I am proud that we were able to win this long match,” said JTEKT’s Polish head coach Michal Gogol after the second game. “We were unable to use (setter Masahiro) Sekita due to health reasons, but (Yudai) Kawahigashi shone on the court instead, supporting the team brilliantly until the end and contributing greatly to this victory. This time we were able to turn the game around from a 1-2 to 3-2. This is the fourth time we have done this.”

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Table leaders Osaka Bluteon widened the gap at the top after bringing home two straight-set wins at bottom-placed Voreas Hokkaido. Osaka also have a 9-1 win-loss record, but with 26 points to their name, they are now three points clear of Aichi. Voreas, on the other hand, trail in 10th place on 1-9 and 4. Star opposite Yuji Nishida contributed a match-high 18 points to Saturday’s 3-0 (25-23, 25-20, 25-15) victory, while Cuban outside Miguel Lopez produced a match-high 15 points towards Sunday’s 3-0 (25-16, 25-23, 25-17) sweep.

With the full six points they gained from their trip to Toray Arrows Shizuoka, defending champions Suntory Sunbirds Osaka climbed to third place on 5-3 and 17, while their hosts dropped to second from the bottom on 2-8 and 7. On Saturday, Suntory Sunbirds came back from a set down to claim a 3-1 (23-25, 33-31, 25-23, 25-17) victory. Their Russian opposite Dmitriy Muserskiy and his Toray Arrows counterpart Daiki Yamada shared the top scorer honours with 24 points apiece. In Sunday’s straight-set affair, Muserskiy led the way with 19 points towards a convincing 3-0 (25-19, 25-20, 25-18) win.

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Wolfdogs Nagoya kept their fourth place, now on 6-4 and 20, after mastering two straight-set wins over visiting Nippon Steel Sakai Blazers, who, on the other hand, dropped all the way down to seventh place on 4-6 and 12. Dutch opposite Nimir Abdel-Aziz was the best scorer of both matches, first with 19 points towards a 3-0 (25-19, 26-24, 25-14) victory and then with 21 points towards a 3-0 (25-23, 25-16, 27-25) win.

In their double header, hosts Nagano Tridents and visitors Hiroshima Thunders exchanged victories, which helped both teams climb up the table – Nagano to eighth place on 2-6 and 5, and Hiroshima to fifth place on 5-5 and 15, and better set ratio than Tokyo. On Saturday, Nagano celebrated their second win of the season, 3-2 (25-22, 17-25, 17-25, 25-18, 15-13), spearheaded by outside Yuji Kudo with 24 points. 

Hiroshima’s Brazilian opposite Felipe Roque topped the chart with 27 points. On Sunday, led by Cuban outside Oreol Camejo with 20 points, Thunders recovered with a 3-0 (25-17, 25-21, 25-13) shutout of their hosts.

The sixth leg next weekend, November 16 and 17, will offer four double headers, featuring the two table leaders, Osaka and Aichi, facing each another in one of them.

Men’s SV.League 2024-2025 6th leg:
Nov 16, 14:05 local (05:35 UTC): Toray Arrows Shizuoka v Wolfdogs Nagoya
Nov 16, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Osaka Bluteon v JTEKT Stings Aichi
Nov 16, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Hiroshima Thunders v Suntory Sunbirds Osaka
Nov 16, 15:05 local (06:05 UTC): Tokyo Great Bears v Nagano Tridents
Nov 17, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): Hiroshima Thunders v Suntory Sunbirds Osaka
Nov 17, 14:05 local (05:35 UTC): Toray Arrows Shizuoka v Wolfdogs Nagoya
Nov 17, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Osaka Bluteon v JTEKT Stings Aichi
Nov 17, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Tokyo Great Bears v Nagano Tridents

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