Japanese NT 2018

USA v JPN 2-2

As best I can surmise from here, USA and JPN played a 4 set match and split it 2-2, with the USA taking the first two and JPN taking the last two. Miyu Nagaoka only played in sets 3 and 4 <cough> and scored 11 points.

Quote from Rains

It didn't sound like an official match. It's like a training match before the scheduled exhibition game in Cali tonight.

The Casual Friday jersey should have tipped me off

Quote from theloneracer

Only Risa Shinnabe and Erika Araki are missing but it's good to see them together again.

Oh how I wish to see the 2012 火の鳥NIPPON in action again.

Where have all the flowers gone ...

Coach Nakada, in the Asian Games, appears to be going with not an A Team/B Team approach but with a Team A/Team B approach.

Against Indonesia:

First two sets:

Tominaga setting

Araki & Okumura in the middle

Yuki, Risa, Kurogo on the wings

Set three:

Sato setting

Iwasaki & Shimamura in the middle

Nagaoka, Nabeya, Nomoto on the wings

She then flipped it for the Philippines:

First two sets:

Tominaga set for

Iwasaki & Shimamura in the middle

Nagaoka, Nabeya, Nomoto on the wings

Set three:

Sato set for:

Araki & Okumura in the middle

Yuki, Risa, Kurogo on the wings

Where does Sarina Koga fit in?

Her numbers and her team's performance this past year are identical to the year leading up to Rio2016 when word on the street was that she was not invited due to her poor performance. So if she isn't uninvited to the WCh due to her identical performance that kept her out of the Olympics, it's easy: Koga for Nomoto. That puts her with Nabeya where she belongs. But will that be the A Team?

Nagaoka looks pretty good from what I can see in the crappy streams of bits and pieces people have uploaded from their iPhones and whatnot. Strong swing and she looks much better with her hair tied back in a ponytail instead of the Bob & Bangs malfunction most of the Japanese players adopt.

And props to Yuki Ishii. She is a defensive marvel (something Koga has lost a bit), and she is, like, the only Japanese player I see swinging with authority at an out of system ball. And then she'll fall down. It's beautiful! She's adorkable!

Quote from theloneracer

Japanese Women NT Roster for 2018 Asian Women's Volleyball Cup (6th AVC Cup for Women) at Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand from September 16th - 23rd, 2018

I enjoyed this team (and this tournament) a lot so I'm gonna blab about the players. It's what I do

Setter:

12. SHIODE, Hitomi (College Student) - Based on the way she used her MBs against Thailand, I'm in love. She hasn't played with any of this team before (as far as I know, at least on any regular basis), so her work seemed very improvised. "Oh!? You're there. Here, hit this ball". She didn't win any of the important matches, was both good and bad at floor defense, but I can't wait to see her again--in a year

16. YASUDA, Minami (High School student) - She played the first match against Korea, subbed a time or two after that. Made no impression.

Middle Blocker:

9. YAMADA, Nichika (NEC Red Rockets) - Based on her performance at the Asian Clubs and the AVC she's my new hero. She has more potential than talent at this point, but at 18 y/old she has a solid, confident court presence. She's Haruyo Shimamura version 2+: slow, solidly built, and tends to 'place' more balls than kill them. She attacks from positions 2,3, and 4! equally (Shimamura is mostly limited to slide attacks). Her blocking is what you'd expect from an 18 y/old Japanese girl, but she plays the back row like it's still part of the job instead of passing time until she gets back up front. Bravo! If she develops a killer instinct (unlikely), she'll be a force ... soon.

10. YOKOTA, Sayaka (College student) - Surprised me that she played 2nd MB against China over:

13. IRISAWA, Mai (Hitachi) - AVC has her at 189cm, Hitachi team page at 187cm. If we split the difference and give her 188 that still makes her the tallest active Japanese player (I think). She's way too nervous at this point (service errors galore!), and still a little gangly, but I think she has a future if she does away with the bangs off to the side and pulls her back, shows us her full face and screams: "I'm here! I'm proud!" I felt very comfortable with her on the floor with YAMADA. She has a quick, instinctual attack style that worked well with the setter's improv style, but she needs to learn how to block. She basically worked her way to the bench as the AVC went on.

Swingers:

1. OSANAI, Miwako (Hitachi) - She's developing a pretty good jump serve. She had a couple good sets against Vietnam but struggled for most of the AVC tournament, got blocked a lot. She has good hang time and a powerful swing but doesn't show much subtlety or smarts when confronted with a block. I'm a big fan and think she had a decent breakout season last year, but was disappointed with her overall performance in the AVC tournament--best OH award notwithstanding. She didn't show anything positive while in the back row.

2. KUDO, Rei (Denso) - She played against Thailand but that's about it. She didn't get much playing time with Denso last season. I like her confident energy but there must be a reason she doesn't get much playing time.

5. ARATANI, Shiori (C) (NEC Red Rockets) - I've been a fan for a while. She seems grown up now. A good Captain. She's reasonably athletic (compared to other Japanese), doubles as MB. I want her to become the new Saori Sakoda. She's a receiving OH/OP. That's an advantage over Sakoda, but she needs to improve a LOT at reception if she wants to break through to the NT A Team. She should put in 10,000 hours of pipe attack practice. She's better at OP than OH, and when she attacks from OP she often flies in the way Sakoda did.

6. HORIE, Miyuki (Ageo) - She played against China in the Final and was high scorer. I dunno.

7. HAYASHI, Kotona (JT) - She showed up out of nowhere and played in the finals against Hisamitsu last spring leaving Kitsui and Kanasugi on the bench. I couldn't understand that. She did not perform well. Then she played well in the 67th Kurowashiki Black Eagle Tournament and helped her team to Gold. She did not perform well in the AVC. Terrible in the back row. I'm still optimistic about her but I'm dialing it back a bit.

8. NAKAGAWA, Miyu (Hisamitsu) - 183cm, 18 years old, is on Hisamitsu's roster (made the NT long list). That makes her future prospects easier. She seems like the kind of player Coach Nakada likes. Basically Ai Kurogo version 2: Smart, technically sound swing. Slow everywhere else. A willing but not great receiver (yet).

4. YAMAGUCHI, Shuri (Ageo) - Must be the Ageo curse. Like Miyuki HORIE, I don't see anything there but coaches do. I dunno.

Libero:

3. HANAI, Moeri (College student) -

11. MIZUSUGI, Rena (High School student) -

I used to like Moeri HANAI in some of these U-matches but neither libero flipped my pancakes during the AVC. I thought HANAI played better than MIZUSUGI, so I was surprised MIZUSUGI won best libero award. Shocked, actually.

All in all this B (or U) squad entertained me a LOT more than the A team's malfunction this year. Sure, different levels of competition but .... I don't care if Japan loses matches as long as they are a pain in the ass to the opponents who beat them. The A team hasn't given me that in a while.

They pulled the old switcheroo with Uchiseto over Nabeya who was listed on those preliminary rosters. I like Yurie Nabeya a lot more than Uchiseto, but Uchiseto's better at reception? I dunno, probably, maybe some, maybe most of the time.

Uchiseto quietly does her job, well enough, like Yuki and Risa. That doesn't seem to getting wins, though. Nabeya can ignite the team. Or she can run on to the court and trip over someone. Tough call.