Japan - V.Premier League 2016-2017

  • A player can be listed as a libero, but she can play at other position anytime. Any player can play as a libero, as long as they change jersey with the libero. It happens, if the libero gets hurt, a outside hitter could wear the libero jersey and play as libero.


    And what some teams do a lot of times is.. they have a libero on the floor, but they have another "libero" playing as Outside Hitter...they do that just to have better reception or dig some balls.

  • She got injured few weeks ago and missed some games. She did not play yesterday but she played last week. I don`t know if she got hurt again, maybe she is just not 100%, and maybe they left her out because it was against the weakest team Toray, and she could play tonight. We will see.

    Anyone know whats up with Watanabe, and if she will play tonight vs Queenseis? If she is playing, then I really like Hitachi's chances (don't really understand why oddsmakers have them as underdogs for the match)

  • Watanabe played last night, came in in the third set. Started the fourth. But that's as far as I got.


    Looks like NEC is gonna take this one .


    Still don't fully get that Libero thing. Like you mentioned, the way Zayasu played on the NT. But the other way around, being listed as a Libero and serving? I thought Libero listings were strict.

  • Maybe she was not listed as libero??


    I`m not sure, but I think does not matter how they are listed, even if she was listed as libero, she could play at any other position.( as long she is not wearing the libero jersey and taking the libero spot on the floor) But I`m not sure, I could be wrong.


    Oh ok, so Watanabe played yesterday. Sounds like she is not 100%...

  • Maybe she was not listed as libero??


    Yeah, I was referencing the two year old Wiki article lol, and she was listed as libero in the box scores here. She doesn't look like a libero to me. Oumi does though :whistling: You're right :thumbsup:


    Congrats to the Rockets.

  • February 26, 2017, Final 6 Match 3 (Day 3) & Match 4 (Day 2) of 5


    NEC Red Rockets 3-1 JT Marvelous (25-20, 18-25, 25-17, 25-16)
    Emiliya Nikolova (NEC) 21 (2b), Sarina Koga (NEC) 17 (2b, 1a), Akari Oumi (NEC) 15 (2b, 1a), Kana Ohno (NEC) 12 (1a), Kaname Yamaguchi (NEC) 2 (1b), Haruyo Shimamura (NEC) 1, Miku Torigoe (NEC) L, Kaori Ueno (NEC) sub 11 (1b, 2a), Mizuki Yanagita (NEC) sub 1, Misaki Yamauchi (NEC) sub 0
    Mizuki Tanaka (JT) 13 (1b, 1a), Ayumi Nakamura (JT) 10 (2b), Yuka Kitsui (JT) 10 (1b), Mai Okumura (JT) 8 (1b), Yumi Terai (JT) 7 (1b), Misaki Tanaka (JT) 0, Mako Kobata (JT) L, Onuma Sittirak (JT) sub 7, Mika Shibata (JT) sub 2, Aika Akutagawa (JT) sub 1, Kotoe Inoue (JT) sub 0


    Hitachi Rivale 3-1 Toyota Auto Body Queenseis (27-25, 25-15, 20-25, 25-18)
    Hisae Watanabe (Hitachi) 30 (1a), Mami Uchiseto (Hitachi) 11, Cursty Jackson (Hitachi) 11 (1b, 1a), Nanami Inoue (Hitachi) 4 (1b, 1a), Miya Satoh (Hitachi) 0, Moemi Tohi (Hitachi) 0, Arisa Satoh (Hitachi) L, Kaori Mabashi (Hitachi) sub 18 (1a), Maiha Haga (Hitachi) sub 2, Anna Koike (Hitachi) sub 0
    Polina Rahimova (Toyota) 33 (4b, 1a), Erika Araki (Toyota) 11 (6b), Saori Takahashi (Toyota) 8 (3b), Momoka Oda (Toyota) 8, Miyuki Hiramatsu (Toyota) 6 (3b), Momoko Higane (Toyota) 0, Misato Sakakibara (Toyota) L, Nao Muranaga (Toyota) sub 2, Akari Takeuchi (Toyota) sub 0, Ayaka Hosokawa (Toyota) sub 0


    Final 6 Standings
    Rank, Team, Match Points, Match Wins, Sets Won-Sets Lost
    1. NEC Red Rockets 11, 2, 6-4 (3 played) *
    ----- Advance Directly to Final Match -----
    2. Hisamitsu Springs 10, 3, 10-9 (4 played)
    3. Hitachi Rivale 9, 2, 8-9 (4 played)
    ----- Advance to Final 3 (Semifinal) -----
    4. Toyota Auto Body Queenseis 8, 2, 9-6 (4 played)
    5. JT Marvelous 6, 1, 6-10 (4 played)
    6. Toray Arrows 4, 1, 7-8 (3 played)
    If tied on points, higher regular season position is tiebreaker
    * Clinched Final 3 berth

  • Good games last night. Man, I wish the streams were better. These broadcasting rights and such really rub my sense of entitlement the wrong way. :lol:


    Watanabe played the games Friday and Saturday with an ice bag on her head. You go girl!


    Can someone explain how this tournament is scored. I don't understand "Match Points". I googled it, and a match point is when you are one point away from winning the match. So if you're up 24-10, on the way to sweeping 3-0, and your opponent scores 13 points before you close it out ... you get 13 match points? That can't be right, why would that be better than winning 25-10? Or do you get those 13 points regardless of what the other team does? I guess that makes sense, but it's weird.



    Quote

    If a team designates the player as a libero for the match, they cannot play another position.


    In the Japanese league, most teams designate 2 players as liberos.


    So JT #10 Kotoe Inoue is probably not playing Libero any more, and the rosters are just not up-to-date. She's got a fine serve!

  • League gives out match points at the end of the regular season to the Top 6 teams to start the Final 6. So NEC finished first, and started the Final 6 with 5 points. Hisamitsu 4, Hitachi 3, JT 2, Toyota 1, Toray 0.


    Then take your 3-0, 3-1 match add 3 points, 3-2 match add 2 points, 2-3 match add 1 point.


    So with NEC having 2 wins in less than 5 sets, 5+3+3=11


    Or Hisamitsu 4+2+2+2 =10


    I call them match points, because they are based on the result of the match. Technically points would work as well, but with points also being possibly used for the points ratio, it can be a little confusing.


    As for the libero, some teams rotate the liberos if there is an injury. The league does not really track the player positions on their page (in the stat sheets for libero yes), but teams do on their homepages.

  • Thank you, that makes sense, and I guess I was sort of aware of this from that Japan v Serbia kerfuffle in 2012. Some times my brain shuts down when the information is on an incline . lol

  • If any of you folks like "greatest hits" type videos (I usually don't), this one is pretty nice. A couple moments gave me goose bumps and I almost cried about the 2015 World Cup match with Russia. There's a nice song by what's his face for most of it that works well. At about 4:34 in an instrumental break in the song, Koga exhales right to the music beautifully. It's bookended by a couple commentary moments where the announcers are like "Holy smokes, these Japanese women are good!" Loved it


    Legendary Defense

  • Koga played well in the World Cup, but she had a bad 15-16 season.


    People complained about the Japan-Serbia match in 2012 but it was the last match of the day and Japan only needed to win 2 sets. They won two sets, the rules at the time said points as the first tiebreaker. Japan got the 1 point it needed. After that was taken care of, they put in the subs.


    FIVB has since changed the rules wins are 1st, points 2nd, sets ratio 3rd, points ratio 4th.


    With last years Thailand-Japan match, I was at work when the chaos happened. I went home and watched the replay from the end of 4th set. Was the coach frustrated with the system to challenge or substitute, absolutely. Considering the players have to carry paddles, the referees could easily say, "we are not using the buttons because of the difficulty". This would go back to the days of when we played at club level, talking to the officials. Sadly, the FIVB has turned the electronic system into a nightmare at times.


    Anyways in the fifth set, the Thai coach just went crazy when he couldn't get a sub, got a red card for the repeated delays (which given what happened in the 4th the referee was right in doing, but given the other issue (probably wrong), while his team was up. If your coach is acting like that with a lead, it is easy for that "we're going to lose mentality" into the players. And that's what happened. He needed to remain calm, "it's ok, we've got this." Japan came back and goes to Rio. Thailand loses and doesn't.

  • it is easy for that "we're going to lose mentality" into the players. .... remain calm, "it's ok, we've got this."


    So vital. That's why Coach Masayoshi had as much as the players to do with my instant crush on the team. He can offer wisdom and experience, but he also seemed to really respect his players and led by example. I can't stress enough how important that is for me. Coach Lang Ping strikes me the same way. If Japan had a coach like the guy who coaches Dominican Republic, I wouldn't be watching volleyball today. No chance.

  • So what's at stake tonight? I still don't fully comprehend how this will finish out.

  • Well, Brahmin said Hisamitsu with 10 points was almost guarantee in the Final 3, but if the loose for Rockets. And Toyota beats Toray and reaches 11. And if tomorrow Hitachi beats JT they will reach 12. That means Hisamitsu will be out right?? or not? I dont know.


    But either way it is must win situation for everyone.

  • I thought I understood it a few days ago but I'm lost again, because NEC and Toray seem to be a match behind. And a "Final 3" is puzzling. Do tonight's games have a title? Like 'Quarterfinals' or something, or is this still regular season?


    I'm going to root for NEC and then Toray tonight. I don't know what's on tomorrow but I like Hitachi if they play. and JT

  • This is not regular season anymore. It is called "Final" 6. Every team plays 5 games, Toray and Rockets played 3, that`s why they will play tonight and tomorrow. And Toray can reach only 10. I wanted JT to win it all, but they wont make to the final 6. I think it will come down to Rockets/Hisamitsu/Toyota/Hitachi.


    Tomorrow Hitachi vs JT and Rockets vs Toray.

  • So tomorrow is the end, end?


    Or will it be down to a "Final 3" and then those three will Round Robin it out?


    Tomorrow's game I must go with Hitachi. Watanabe has been a revelation, and I also have always liked Arisa a lot. And I like the other Sato, the setter. Are they sisters, do you know?


    And as much as Horikawa impressed me with her beasting, little Oumi has impressed me more. She's sassy and violent, and I don't think an Olympic 5th set would raise her blood pressure one bit. Hitters seem a dime a dozen, there needs to be added value. I think Horikawa, Watanabe, and Oumi all bring a court presence that's good. I also like Yanagita on NEC.


    I'll be sad either way on the NEC/Toray game tomorrow. I'd love to see Saori win it all as a retirement gift, but since that isn't possible Toray should step aside and let Sarina carry the torch.

  • Right now they have 6 teams. After the 2 games tomorrow. The team ranked in 1st place will qualify to the FINAL. The 2nd and 3rd ranked will play a single semi final. And the Final is a single match also.


    I don t know if Sato libero and setter are sitters. I don`t think so.


    With Saori Kimura retiring, Watanabe is my new favorite.


    I`m not sure if you know about the Club World Championship in May and Hisamitsu is hosting, plus the Rockets did qualify as Asian Champions.


    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_FIVB_Volleyball_Women's_Club_World_Championship