Recap of men’s SV.League fourth-leg matches
Ran Takahashi in reception in front of a record-breaking crowd at Ariake Arena (source: suntory.co.jpg)
The attendance record for a volleyball league in Japan was broken on Sunday, as 11,599 fans flocked to the iconic Ariake Arena for the first match of the men’s Daido Life SV.League double header between defending champions Suntory Sunbirds Osaka and Tokyo Great Bears, who paid back with a five-set spectacle. In the most interesting of the five duels of the fourth leg of regular season action, the two teams exchanged victories, with Great Bears winning the five-setter on Sunday and Suntory Sunbirds taking a straight-set revenge on Monday. In each of the remaining four double headers, played over the weekend, the entire six points went to one of the teams.
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https://x.com/SVLEAGUE_JP/status/1853042655103779209
With the preliminary number of 11,563 spectators, as announced at the Ariake Arena during Sunday’s game, the previous all-time record of 9,544 attendees at last season’s final between Suntory Sunbirds and Panasonic Panthers Hirakata on March 31, also at Ariake, was already beaten by over two thousand people. Later, the number was finalized even higher, at 11,599.
Down on the court, the Tokyo team came back from a set down twice to emerge victorious from the rollercoaster match with a 3-2 (17-25, 25-20, 24-26, 25-20, 15-13) win. Their Polish opposite Maciej Muzaj led the team with 20 points, including two kill blocks and an ace. Portuguese outside hitter Alexandre Ferreira added another 17, while his cross-court teammate Rikuto Goto finished with 15. Suntory’s Russian opposite Dmitriy Muserskiy was by far the best scorer of the match with 31 points, including three blocks and two aces, supported by Japanese star Ran Takahashi with 18 points to his name.
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“The game against the powerful Suntory Sunbirds was a fierce battle in a very heated atmosphere. It went to five sets, but we managed to push through and win in the end,” commented Tokyo’s head coach Kasper Vuorinen. “This was our fifth consecutive win, and I think it was a very important game for the team.”
https://x.com/SVLEAGUE_JP/status/1853348256262271020
The hosts got back at Great Bears with an emphatic 3-0 (25-20, 25-18, 25-20) shutout in the leg’s closing match on Monday, after which the two teams found themselves moving in opposite directions in the current standings in comparison to last week. Tokyo climbed one spot, to third place on 5-3 and 13, while Suntory descended one spot, to sixth place on 3-3 and 11. This time in front of “only” 10,871 spectators, Muserskiy topped the charts again, with 19 points, including four aces and one block, followed by his Polish teammate, outside Aleksander Sliwka, with 16. Muzaj led Tokyo’s scorers with 14 points.
“I’m happy with today’s team and proud of it. We were able to bounce back from yesterday’s result. We did what we had to do, we played with consistency, and our serves were good,” said Suntory’s head coach Olivier Lecat. “Every game in the league is tough, so we want to value consistency and work hard to build our new team. I think today’s match was an important game that gave the team confidence.”
https://x.com/sun_SUNBIRDS/status/1853361626327753210
Table leaders Osaka Bluteon mastered two away victories over Nippon Steel Sakai Blazers to improve to 7-1 and 20. On Saturday, they produced a 3-1 (25-22, 25-15, 22-25, 25-19) win with Cuban outside hitter Miguel Lopez leading the way with 21 points, and on Sunday, they hammered out a 3-0 (25-18, 25-22, 25-23) shutout, this time with opposite Yuji Nishida as the game’s best scorer with 19 points. Sakai descended two more spots down the standings, to fifth place on 4-4 and 12.
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Second-placed JTEKT Stings Aichi did not allow Osaka to widen the gap and also registered two solid wins at home against Toray Arrows Shizuoka to improve to 7-1 and 19. Opposite Kento Miyaura and American outside Torey DeFalco contributed a match-high 16 points each towards Saturday’s 3-0 (25-21, 25-17, 25-14) sweep. In Sunday’s 3-1 (25-19, 20-25, 25-21, 25-21) victory, DeFalco put away 21 points to share the top scorer honours with Toray Arrows’ striker Daiki Yamada. The squad from Shizuoka is now down to eighth place on 2-6 and 7.
Wolfdogs Nagoya achieved two straight-set victories upon their visit to Nagano Tridents and climbed two spots up to fourth place on 4-4 and 14, leaving the opponents second from the bottom, in ninth place on 1-5 and 3. A 17-point tally made Nimir Abdel-Aziz the best scorer in Saturday’s 3-0 (25-21, 25-21, 25-21) win. 14 points were enough for the Dutch opposite to top the chart in Sunday’s 3-0 (25-20, 25-21, 25-18) sweep, but this time he shared the honours with Nagano’s outside Yuji Kudo.
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Hiroshima Thunders surged one position up the table, to seventh place on 4-4 and 11, as they beat their visitors Voreas Hokkaido twice to keep them stuck to the bottom 10th place on 1-7 and 4. In the first game of the double header, the home team claimed a 3-0 (25-19, 25-19, 25-23) win with a 19-point match high from Cuban outside Oreol Camejo. In the second, Brazilian opposite Felipe Roque spearheaded Hiroshima with 23 points towards a 3-1 (25-18, 18-25, 25-23, 25-20) victory.
The fifth leg, to be played on Saturday, November 9, and Sunday, November 10, will also feature a full set of five double headers.
Men’s SV.League 2024-2025 5th leg:
Nov 9, 13:35 local (04:35 UTC): Voreas Hokkaido v Osaka Bluteon
Nov 9, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Nagano Tridents v Hiroshima Thunders
Nov 9, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Toray Arrows Shizuoka v Suntory Sunbirds Osaka
Nov 9, 15:05 local (06:05 UTC): Tokyo Great Bears v JTEKT Stings Aichi
Nov 9, 15:35 local (06:35 UTC): Wolfdogs Nagoya v Nippon Steel Sakai Blazers
Nov 10, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): Voreas Hokkaido v Osaka Bluteon
Nov 10, 13:05 local (04:05 UTC): Nagano Tridents v Hiroshima Thunders
Nov 10, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Toray Arrows Shizuoka v Suntory Sunbirds Osaka
Nov 10, 14:05 local (05:05 UTC): Tokyo Great Bears v JTEKT Stings Aichi
Nov 10, 14:35 local (05:35 UTC): Wolfdogs Nagoya v Nippon Steel Sakai Blazers
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