Japan - V.League V1 (Division 1, Women) 2018-2019

    Ha! She played for NEC :drink:

    Quote from brahmin

    For the 2019-2020 season, there will be 12 teams. This is where it gets tricky and I'll start with V1.


    The bottom 3 teams of V1, 5th & 6th place in each conference (for 2018-2019 season), will play a round-robin between the three teams. The worst team will finish 11th in V1.


    For V2, the team with an S1 license will be automatically promoted to V1 if they win the V2 championship. If they finish within the top 2, then there will be a playoff with the 11th placed V1 team. So, at this time only JA Gifu Rioreina and Breath Hamamatsu are eligible to have a chance of being promoted.


    So, PFU (right now would be last, 11th) may have to play a promotion/relegation playoff. Gifu are in second place in V2 right now (6-1, 17), while Hamamatsu are 4th (4-3, 12). V2 will play 18 matches (10 teams) this season.

    So, if Gifu wins the V2 there will be no relegation game, Gifu promotes to V1, and PFU is safe from harm.


    If Gifu comes in 2nd place in V2 then they play PFU, and if Gifu wins PFU gets demoted, Gifu gets promoted, and V1 will be 11 teams again? Probably not, but it makes the relegation game meaningless if PFU gets to stay in V1 anyway. What am I missing there?


    If Gifu finishes first and Hamamatsu comes in 2nd, would Gifu automatically promote and Hamamatsu would play PFU for relegation or not?


    And what the heck happens when Himeji wins V2 and the Green Wings come in 2nd?


    I guess a final question I have is: are the conferences set in stone, or will they change next year according to how things finish this season?

    Standings 2018.12.02 -- after Week 5 (10 competition days)

    # Team MP WIN LOSE SETS POINTS
    1. Toyota Body Queens
    		 8 7 1 22:9 20
    2. JT Marvelous
    		 8 6 2 22:14 18
    3. NEC Red Rockets
    		 9 5 4 19:14 17
    4. Hisamitsu Springs
    		 6 5 1 17:5 16
    5. Denso Airybees
    		 8 5 3 17:11 15
    6. Toray Arrows
    		 7 4 3 13:13 11
    7. Hitachi Rivale
    		 8 5 3 18:19 10
    8. Saitama Ageo Medics
    		 7 3 4 10:15 8
    9. Okayama Seagulls
    		 7 1 6 12:20 5
    10. Kurobe Aqua Fairies
    		 8 1 7 8:21 4
    11. PFU Blue Cats
    		 8 0 8 7:24 2


    WESTERN CONFERENCE

    # TEAM MP WIN LOSE SETS POINTS
    1. Toyota Body Queens 8 7 1 22:9 20
    2. JT Marvelous 8 6 2 22:14 18
    3. Hisamitsu Springs 6 5 1 17:5 16
    4. Toray Arrows 7 4 3 13:13 11
    5. Okayama Seagulls 7 1
    		 6 12:20 5


    EASTERN CONFERENCE

    # TEAM MP WIN LOSE
    		 SETS POINTS
    1. NEC Red Rockets 9 5 4 19:14 17
    2. Denso Airybees 8 5 3 17:11 15
    3. Hitachi Rivale 8 5 3 18:19 10
    4. Saitama Ageo Medics 7 3 4 10:15 8
    5. KUROBE Aqua Fairies 8 4 1 8:21 4
    6. PFU Blue Cats 9 2 8 7:24 2


    ENTERTAINMENT VALUE

    # Team BECAUSE W L
    1. Okayama Seagulls
    		 Two setters on court setting each other for kills is crazy
    		 1 6
    2. Kurobe Aqua Fairies
    		 At every match point Rina Hiratani will call for a block touch



    Empty rituals are fun
    		 1 7


    Everything else is just volleyball :drink:

    Conferences are not set in stone, some teams would be more set than others. Basically the area between Osaka and Nagoya (and north of that) is kind of the grey zone. Toyota and Denso could both be in the same conference as they are close to each other. Let alone PFU and Kurobe (who are together).


    The Green Wings right now do not have an S1 license, so they WOULD NOT have a chance of promotion at this time. If the S1 license paperwork gets approved, then they could be promoted (or playoff to be promoted).


    If Gifu is 1st, they are promoted and Hamamatsu finishes 2nd, then PFU would playoff against Hamamatsu for the final spot in 2019-2020.


    I would bet that if only one team finishes in the top 2 in V2, then they will get automatically promoted to make it 12 teams. The 11th place team, right now PFU, will either be safe (only 1 team promoted) or have a playoff (S1 licensed teams in V2).


    Himeji would probably be stuck in V2 due to it being their first season and only having an S3 license (as a new team) and the V.LEAGUE would require that they pass each level on the licenses. So, my bet is that they'll be up in V1 in 2020-21.

    Oh, for some reason I thought the Conferences were determined by a serpentine thing according to last year's standings, but Eastern Conference JT, Toyota, and Hisamitsu were the Final 3 last year if I recall correctly, so ... oops.


    NEC has lost as many games so far this year as all three of those teams combined have. :aww:

    I still can't google-translate to sufficient understanding what's up with V.League TV, and there is the possibility that they are just messing up, but there's something about the DAZN broadcasts being available 30 days after the live broadcast and something about 7 days (how long they are available for?). But it's different for paid/free.


    Long story short: It's 30 days since opening day and those five matches are viewable, and they look nice--much better than the V.tv ones.


    I'm watching the NEC v Denso match and it's a puzzle. It's the lineup Denso should win with (Ari/liberos--Sinéad/Otake--Ishida/Nabeya/Kudo) and my lowly NEC Red Rockets showed them what's what.


    Here's what's up for grabs:

    Saitama Ageo Medics v Kurobe AquaFairies

    Denso Airybees v NEC Red Rockets

    JT Marvelous v Okayama Seagulls

    Hitachi Rivale v PFU BlueCats

    Hisamitsu Springs v Toray Arrows

    Highlights from Week 5

    Sat 01 DEC 2018

    Hitachi Rivale v Okayama Seagulls (3-2) (28-26 25-20 19-25 20-25 17-15) Stats

    5 sets with mega-rally after mega-rally and it was still only 2:18 long.

    Display Spoiler

    NEC Red Rockets v JT Marvelous (2-3) (22-25 25-18 18-25 25-22 16-18) V.TV Stats

    v.tv = no highlights


    Toray Arrows v Denso Airybees (0-3) (20-25 21-25 35-37) Stats

    This is the Denso I'm talkin' about: Nabeya/Ishida/Kudo all in good form. Sinéad had 6 blocks but a quiet game with no highlights until match point. Saori Kimura makes an appearance at the beginning and is all super girly

    Display Spoiler

    Hisamitsu Springs v PFU BlueCats (3-1) (25-23 20-25 25-20 25-13) V.TV Stats

    v.tv = no highlights


    Saitama Ageo Medics v Toyota Body Queens (0-3) (20-25 20-25 18-25) Stats

    Unlike Japanese players, Neriman knows how to swing hard at out of system balls. Really hard. She uses her body like a jack knife. A unique style. Lovely.

    Display Spoiler



    Sun 02 DEC 2018

    NEC Red Rockets v Okayama Seagulls (3-1) (25-21 25-19 21-25 25-15) Stats

    Yep. We get Miyashita kill shots and you can see her and Ugajin trading sets.





    Hisamitsu Springs v Denso Airybees (3-1) (25-13 25-18 21-25 25-22) Stats

    Chizuru Kotoh, remember her? Sinéad offers her a facial. Foluke's hang time is ridiculous.

    Display Spoiler


    Saitama Ageo Medics v JT Marvelous (1-3) (26-24 24-26 22-25 21-25) Stats

    Brankica scores twice with silly little push overs

    Display Spoiler


    Toyota Body Queens v Hitachi Rivale (3-1) (20-25 25-13 25-19 25-18) Stats

    Saori Takahashi is having a good year. Looks good and athletic. Check the 4th set dig by Hitachi's libero, Kanako Saito, on a Neriman long distance fly in.

    Display Spoiler


    Toray Arrows v Kurobe AquaFairies (3-0) (25-20 25-17 25-23) Stats

    Block Touch!

    Toray MB #12 Erina Ogawa popped up at the end of last season and is a staple this year. Worth keeping an eye on.

    Display Spoiler

    I hope Guidetti invites Neriman back to NT. This year is so important for Turkish NT to be part of Olympics. There were rumors they had arguments in 2017 European Championship and after that tournament Neriman retired from NT at the age of 29. She is still has so much to give this NT and she finally can play as OPP and doesnt have to receive. I prefer Neriman over Meryem who is mediocre even in VNL.

    Quote from Canter

    i just saw player from Ageo number 3 :what: is she Japanese ? i couldnt read her name

    Her name is Jaja Santiago and she isn't Japanese and is a one of the foreigners from the Philippines. Tall about 196 cm, but kinda of slow and has an awkward jump. In her home country, she started as MB in college, but recently her home country has been trying to covert her to an OH/OP. Though I think due to her natural height, MB suits her best. She just needs to improve.

    Let's meet the KUROBE Aqua Fairies

    One of three teams promoted from the Challenge league this year, KUROBE has the smallest roster in the league (15) and the most Preexisting Conditions: players who don't take a night off; haven't been injured; and are immune from being taken out of a match for not bringing their A game.


    The Preexisting Conditions:
    #4 Yurika Banba. A libero is like stomach bacteria. You need it, it's good for you. KUROBE has no one else who wears a libero uniform. Yurika is quick and courageous, and has been seen crawling on all fours to get a ball. She's also been seen, on more than one occasion, receiving a free ball and passing it directly out of bounds. All heroes have a tragic flaw. For Yurika, the more difficult the dig the better the pass. She needs to improve her block coverage but she leads the league in serve receive with a whopping 76.6%. Her number of receives isn't high (96) because teams try not to serve to her. No Problem, because:
    Yurika
    Beavis and Butthead

    #3 Nanami Wasai     and #11 Rina Hiratani. Main weapons. Swingers. Two of the most joyful players in the league. #3 Nanami Wasai is second in the league at serve receive delivering 67.6% with (182) attempts. She has the posture of a senior citizen, which seems to help. Most of the balls go to #11 Rina Hiratani who delivers a not too shabby 57.9% with (254) attempts. That makes for a formidable back line. These two are very casual about it, like it's just something to get out of the way. It's a pleasure to watch. Their floor defense isn't great but if they get the ball, they pass it well. They both hit from the left side exclusively. Nanami (168cm) is 86/305 for 28.2%; Rina (173cm) is 99/308 for 32.1%. Not good enough. They both have good cross court shots but they get blocked a lot. Nanami can't hit from the back court (0/5) at all; Rina looks good at it but 6/25 isn't enough. Neither of them seem like they can improve. KUROBE needs scoring from other sources.
    Nanami
    Rina
    #19 Freya Aelbrecht. Middle Blocker. Her blocking numbers are good, 19 - (.66/set)-(4th), but Nana Iwasaka's are better. Freya kills at 45.8% (81/177) - (5th). Her swing count is high for a middle blocker but she could swing more. Her best attacks are when she's standing by the net in transition. The setter tosses her the ball and she whacks it. She's hasn't got much going with either KUROBE setter in terms of a run-up attack in the middle. Some slides are impressive but not enough of them make you want to run for cover. The Setter<->MB thing. It's a mystery. She's a wonderful presence on court, gives pep talks during huddles, doesn't speak Japanese. Everyone seems to love her, although a timid Nanami sometimes looks overwhelmed, almost fearful when Freya and Rina bring the uber-joy. It's cute.

    Freya
    #1 Captain Saki Maruyama. Opposite. She looks like a captain, plays like a captain. She swings less than Freya 64/160 for 40%, and is a little more error prone: 13 vs. 8 for Freya, (cf.14 for Rina with 308 swings). She needs to swing more. She's 168cm and has 11 blocks. She's a player, but she's a preexisting condition without full coverage.

    Saki


    #12 Akane Ukishima, a southpaw, 18/42, 42.9%. plays for Saki occasionally. Tough call but Akane might be a better option for KUROBE to get 15-20 points a game from the right side rather than 8 from Saki. Akane is more powerful and looks hungry for an opportunity. This is the biggest coaching puzzle for KUROBE. Maruyama has put in her time, she's captain, and she's pretty good. Ukishima might be better.


    #2 Natsuno Kurami and #7 Kozue Yukimaru share the Middle Blocker rotations with Freya. Both serviceable. Rail thin Kurami seems the better of the two: 42% to 34%, 6 blocks to 1, and Kurami has a good serve.


    Setter is KUROBE's biggest shortcoming. #8 Mizuki Minami started the season but has gradually lost favor. She has a nice, fast, overhead pass to her Japanese team mates, but it's cosmetic. #5 Mayuka Shirasaki has gotten increasing minutes and starts. She's listed as a libero, and in her bio-blurb says "receiving" is her main goal for the season--not really a setter's priority. She'd probably suit up in a cross color jersey if Banba got injured.


    I really enjoy this team for their great passing and their joyful exuberance. If they want to start winning games with who they have, they need about 5 more points a game from Freya, and 5-10 from the right side of the court. Time might bring the former, Ukishima the latter.


    And Rina, my Rina, give me more from downtown, please.

    I haven't noticed that but I don't watch PFU very closely. Maybe a coaching thing. Except for Kurobe, these bottom dwellers seem to have some unconventional approaches.

    The V.League/DAZN post these videos of a spiking challenge game. Each one shows three players from a team who have 60 seconds each to try and hit a pyramid of balls on the other side--left corner, right corner and center. I think they've shown 6 or 7 teams so far. Only a few players have gotten 2 before running out of time. This week was Hisamitsu's turn: Imamura, Inoue, Kato.


    Yuka Imamura is the first player to get all three. For my money she is one of the most powerful and accurate Japanese spikers in the league. I've watched all of these and just the sound of her whack is impressive compared to others.


    My theory: she has big hands for a Japanese girl.



    Quote from blue1234

    I've noticed that a few team(s)...PFU in specific lol doesn't ever have their OH and OP switch sides in attacking. Basically they just hit on their side until they rotate to the back for services. Why is that?

    Hey blue, I may have misunderstood this ... do you mean the OH just rotates position 4, 3, 2, and hits from those positions? Or that the OH will hit from position 4 for three plays until she goes back to serve?


    If it's the second one, that's what they all do. They have to move into position 3, then 2 for the serve (what I call the fake lineup), until the serve goes off and then they just go back to where they want to be ... OH to position 4, OP to position 2.

    Quote from sitenoise

    Hey blue, I may have misunderstood this ... do you mean the OH just rotates position 4, 3, 2, and hits from those positions? Or that the OH will hit from position 4 for three plays until she goes back to serve?


    If it's the second one, that's what they all do. They have to move into position 3, then 2 for the serve (what I call the fake lineup), until the serve goes off and then they just go back to where they want to be ... OH to position 4, OP to position 2.

    It is not a fake lineup. That is the rotation from the starting lineup. They then shift into their attacking or offensive/defensive positions.

    Quote from MarcoBerlanda

    Two questions:

    - Is Rika Nomoto (Hisamitsu) injured?

    - Why doesn't Rhamat Alhassan (NEC) play?

    I was wondering the same thing about Rika Nomoto. She's not even listed on Hisamitsu's player stats for the year, so she must injured. As for Rhamat, maybe Mapuan has a source?