Recap of men’s SV.League second-leg final
Photo source: SV.League
Defending Japanese title holders Suntory Sunbirds Osaka triumphed as the first ever champions in the revamped men’s Daido Life SV.League! On Monday, they mastered a straight-set victory over JTEKT Stings Aichi to close the best-of-three championship playoff in two games and pick up their 11th national crown.
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After Saturday’s impressive comeback from two sets down in the first match of the series, Suntory Sunbirds got the job done in three sets in the second game on Monday. In front of nearly 10 thousand fans on the stands at the LaLa arena TOKYO-BAY, they hammered out a 3-0 (29-27, 25-16, 25-22) sweep.
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With 21 points to his name, Russian opposite Dmitriy Muserskiy was once again the best scorer of the match. In addition to three kill blocks and an ace, he delivered 17 points in swings at a 50% success rate in attack.
Outside hitters Ran Takahashi (71% success in attack, two aces, one kill block) and Cuban-born Alain De Armas added 18 and 10 points, respectively, towards Suntory’s victory. Three players reached the double digits on Aichi’s side: opposite Kento Miyaura and Brazilian outside Ricardo Lucarelli with 11 points each, and American outside Torey DeFalco with 10.
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“I would like to congratulate all the players of both teams. It was only through the accumulation of all the efforts that we were able to reach this moment,” Suntory Sunbirds’ French head coach Olivier Lecat stated.
“And today, I was really happy to see the players embodying what they have been working on throughout the season on the court. They stepped up firmly at the most important moments and showed a strong will to achieve their goal. The match was very tough, but in the end, we were able to use our experience and grab the victory. This final was like a volleyball festival. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all the players, all the staff, and everyone in the Suntory family.”
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“I feel that our opponents were one step ahead in today’s match in terms of strength at key points,” commented JTEKT Stings’ Polish head coach Michal Gogol. “We had our chances, especially in the first set, but we couldn’t take advantage of them. The momentum affected the second set as well. In the third set, we changed the outside hitter’s position and went into the match with renewed determination. And with our fans’ enthusiastic support, we were able to make a great comeback. However, in the last important moments, Suntory was superior again, and I think that was what ultimately decided the outcome. Even so, even after Saturday’s disappointing loss, we were able to fight with all our might from the first ball. I am truly proud of everyone on the team.”
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