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

Quote from brahmin

With Toyota's win, excluding Okayama, the West is 19-2 vs the East. Even adding Okayama in 20-6 West over the East in interconference matches.

So ... do you think the West is stronger than the East You keep hinting at it.

This matters in terms of gift points at the end. Both first place teams get 6; then 4,2,0 for both second, third, fourth place respectively.

But you know how I am with these things: If you make the Final 8 Round Robin and you win all your games you will be win Gold regardless of which conference you played in. Probably.

Quote from guilhermessartor

any link?

Okayama v Toray is on now:

But don't spoiler alert me on it. I had it on tape delay till NEC match ended. If it's that one you wanted a link:

That youtuber usually streams all the V.League games

I love Okayama. Such scrappy defenders. 22 year old Teen Idol Mayu Oikawa looks out of place jumping up and down with joy. Wonder Woman Mizuki Ugajin is out there setting to Miyashita who's killing it like an OP. Weirdos.

Okayama Coach is curious. It looks like he tells sarcastic off-color puns during timeouts, or guru-talks things like "If the early bird is in heat the silk is sewn by the worm", and then he looks at the players expecting a response. That's why you always see the players standing with their heads down, thinking "WTF?". A strange circus.

Too bad Okayama is without both their top MBs. If Toray keeps scoring more points than Okayama they will win this match

Quote from brahmin

Kurobe took a set from the Springs?????? Were the backups in?

I'm watching Okayama match, but I just looked in and Set 3 is Yuka, Yuki, Risa, Foluke, so probably not. Kurobe's got it in 'em. 3rd set is close 14-13

Quote from brahmin

Seagulls need to win the 5th to have any chance of Final 8. A loss will put them 4 wins behind with 9 to play. It would be all but impossible with matches against Toyota and Hisamitsu still to play.

Are you trying to get me to Euro-comment on how unfair the Conferences are? If Okayama was in the East they'd have a better chance ....

This Okayama Toray match is a nail-biter. The Set 4 deuce points are crazy.

Syuuka Kaneda!

I think all one has to do is register for a free account and you can watch the Hisamitsu v Kurobe match in nice resolution, here if anyone is interested:

They broadcast 1 or 2 matches each Saturday, and all matches 30 days old are viewable.

Okayama

Good teams always play all five sets

On to the Hitachi match.

Oh no. Where is Miya Sato?

This Hitachi newcomer, #19 Miyu Kubota is the real deal. A receiving OP; a better batting average than Watanabe and Osanai; 6th in the league in Serve; 11th in Serve/Receive. Too bad she's only 171cm.

Rookie #18 Ruriko Uesaka is also well worth keeping an eye on, but she's got to get past Watanabe and Osanai for playing time. And she has been. Not enough sets to rank, though.

Sat 12 Jan 2019 Results

Seemed like Toyota played pretty well (but I tend to see defense, digging and passing as my first measuring stick). You'd never know it by their stats. Uchiseto 5/36 @13%, Neriman 14/46 @30%. Might be the first time she dipped below 40% (Rhamat?). Captain Saori Takahashi didn't play. Stats say both teams had 7 blocks. I think that's wrong. Toyota didn't let much through. Sadly, it seems Toyota Coach likes her new setter, Yuki Yamagami more than my beloved Momoko Higane.

NEC

finally showed us Rhamat. I'm optimistic about her, except for her serving (4/6 errors!). Absent any other explanation I can only assume this is what has held her back so far? Maybe just opening night jitters. She's fast, long, and has a nice Japanese joyful attitude. 7/13 in kills, 3 blocks. She also seems Okumura-esque in staying fully engaged with a play instead of standing around looking to see if it will require her input. I love that! I guess we'll say she played 2nd MB as she had a lot less court time than Ueno, and fewer swings--her 13 v Ueno's 35. It looked to me like she had more than 3 blocks. NEC is killing me. Their reception sucks, they can't play defense at all. Their attackers have no aim. They get blocked or hit it right to one of the opposing players. Strangely, I'm optimistic that NEC was down several points in all sets and crawled back to at least 23. This is the opposite of what they usually do. Nanami Hirose--my hope for the year--was in street clothes again

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Typical Okayama weirdo match. They run this one play where if Miyashita receives a ball while in Pos.1, she blind sets it to Pos.3; the MB looks confused and then gets out of the way for the libero to run up and do a lovely jump set/fast pass to the OP. Never seen one go to the other side so it's probably an easy read for the defense, but it's cool looking and has been successful a lot of the time. Okayama does a few "Densos" every now and then, where they group watch a ball hit the floor, but for the most part they are remarkable at keeping it play. That's what keeps them in games. #7 Moe Sasaki, the closest thing Okayama has to a preexisting condition, went 21/63 @33%, while growing-on-me-every-match #18 Syuuka Kaneda went 27/64 @42%. Southpaw OP #6 Sanae Watanabe, the one who has to remember which arm she's supposed to swing with after she jumps, went 11/26 @42%. Not bad. Bummer no Kawashima nor Okusu at MB, but they still won!

I'm trying to enjoy Toray. I'm liking their new teenage setter #14 Nanami Seki more and more. I'm going to call her The Whipper Snapper for her gumption and court awareness. She looks like she's running a team. Jana Kulan--40 points (32/71, 6 blocks, 2 aces). A yawner for me, but ... respect. Ai Kurogo--29 (25/75, 2 blocks, 2 aces). Their other OH who looks very promising to me, #9 Shino Nakata went a dreadful 3/20!

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For Rhamat fans who want to see her debut in high resolution, this youtuber has sets 1 & 2 posted. Set 3 has been posted:

What I'm going to really really like about her is she seems comfortable with the floor. She says hello and goodbye to it very quickly

Re: this blocking question. If a block, a roof block, bounces off an opposing player and goes out of bounds or just skids across the floor does that still count as a kill block? Is it a judgement call or if by virtue of an opposing player touching it before it hits the ground does that make it a non-block?

Nothing weird is going to happen in the East, but I hope last night's match is a sign that Okayama is going to send Toray packin'. Toray is a better team but Okayama tries harder. Both have reasonably easy schedules from here on out, only two matches against teams above them in the West.

Toray has to play Hitachi twice but if Miya Sato is injured Hitachi won't get to be the spoiler alert

Thanks for the update!