Japan - V.League V1 (Division 1, Women) 2019-2020

    Watched that Hitachi/Himeji stream. I think it might be from a Chinese source like last year's streams that had the mumbling Mandarin nightwatchman down the hall.


    On the Hitachi side, Miyu Kubota is a gay version of YOLO. Simply fabulous. 15/28 from the right side, no errors, 62% reception. I raved about her all last year and look forward to raving about her this year.


    When Miya Sato enters court I think I understand how Turkish fans feel when The Naz comes on. It's soothing. I sort of enjoy Mai Irisawa's attempt at hustle but, and she did this last year too, she tries to play balls she has no business playing with. Coach has to coach that out of her. Sakura Doi made an appearance. I wish she's get a second wind to her career but there isn't really any place for her on Hitachi. She shoulda signed up for "Transfer Hope"--last spring.


    Himeji - Yoshie Takeshita looks like a regular pro coach in an outfit now. Kudos. OH Riho Sadakane is a fine 171cm player but 30 some odd % swinging and 50 some odd % receiving isn't good enough to be the star. Don't know what happened to the middles, except it seems the setter lost faith in them. Himeji has great middles--well, for V2 anyway. It remains to be seen how they scale now that they're V1.


    Ivna Colombo had 4 blocks. sloth was wondering about foreign MBs and blocking. I bet that if you added the numbers for the past few years, the foreign swingers would have a lot more blocks than the foreign MBs. Colombo's no Jana Kulan but if she can bring a handful of blocks to every match that will help. She's mostly hidden on reception, Hitachi served to her anyway, but some rotations she's up front about it. I'm not sure if she has the temperament to play for a Japanese team that's going to lose some games, though. Gotta keep your chin up.

    Quote from sitenoise

    btw - in volleyball does "game" refer to a match or a set? I say 'game' and mean match but I'm anxious about it

    Originally in the rules they were called games. Eventually it was changed to set because it is similar to tennis in scoring (need to win sets to win the match). In 1916, Two out of three games determined the winner of a match. At that time a game was 15 points.


    Only with rally scoring coming in 1988 for deciding sets, did the number of points for a game needed change. Also in 1988, 17 points was the cap for all games.

    V.League's got highlights up. Here's the Toyota v JT match, queued up to one of Neriman's jump serves. I don't know if she used to do this. It's new to me. She does it in the same nonchalant way she always serves, doesn't aim or concern herself with the toss. She just flings the ball in the air and chases after it. Neriman looks great out the gate so far. Watch the whole thing from beginning to see her knock Mako Kobata on her ass. Also get a look at the new JT setter. She gets a kill (on Neriman).



    Quote of the week. Yoshie Takeshita on the 1–3 loss in Himeji's V1 debut:

    Quote

    I was able to win the match. I wanted to let them win.

    I know it's a google translate error but I love the ambiguity of it. Bing translates it as "It was a game we won. I wanted to let you win."


    It can be read as she wanted to let Hitachi win, but she wouldn't say that. I read it that she could have coached her team to win but wanted to see if they could win it for themselves. I think that's beautiful :rose:

    Quote from theloneracer

    JT players doing various tricks. I don't think it real but it was fun watching these tricks. The video reminds me of the VNL ads.

    Totally real. They're magicians. I'm gonna miss JT

    Quote from sitenoise

    V.League's got highlights up. Here's the Toyota v JT match, queued up to one of Neriman's jump serves. I don't know if she used to do this. It's new to me. She does it in the same nonchalant way she always serves, doesn't aim or concern herself with the toss. She just flings the ball in the air and chases after it. Neriman looks great out the gate so far. Watch the whole thing from beginning to see her knock Mako Kobata on her ass. Also get a look at the new JT setter. She gets a kill (on Neriman).



    I remember she was doing jump serves when she was really young (while she was playing for uralochka) but later in her career she was mostly doing a jump float and to be honest her floats were very dangerous.


    It is great to hear that she is in a good shape, we will need her in January 😍

    Quote from QueenPiccininiLover

    When did she (Neriman) play for Uralochka? :white:

    In 2006, she was only 18 years old. Eczacıbasi made foreign transfers for spiker positions although they promised her that she will be starter. According to rule in turkey, one player can not play in another Turkish team until she is 22 years old unless her club's permission. That's why she run away from eczacıbasi and went to uralochka since carpol was interested in her at that time. It was only half season but she mentioned her interviews that she improved a lot during her uralochka times. Eczacıbasi managed to convince her to come back and let her play in Karşıyaka for the rest of season, which turned out to be a good decision since she had a great performance at that year

    Quote from serdar

    In 2006, she was only 18 years old. Eczacıbasi made foreign transfers for spiker positions although they promised her that she will be starter. According to rule in turkey, one player can not play in another Turkish team until she is 22 years old unless her club's permission. That's why she run away from eczacıbasi and went to uralochka since carpol was interested in her at that time. It was only half season but she mentioned her interviews that she improved a lot during her uralochka times. Eczacıbasi managed to convince her to come back and let her play in Karşıyaka for the rest of season, which turned out to be a good decision since she had a great performance at that year

    I didn't know. Thanks.

    Quote from serdar

    I remember she was doing jump serves when she was really young (while she was playing for uralochka) but later in her career she was mostly doing a jump float and to be honest her floats were very dangerous.


    It is great to hear that she is in a good shape, we will need her in January 😍

    I have no info but Japan seems pretty stingy about letting players go off to do other things. V.League Final 8 begins January 11, pretty crucial time for a team to win some games. I'm waiting anxiously for Neriman to play with Turkish NT but would be very surprised if it happens this January. Have you heard some chatter that it might happen?

    Quote from sitenoise

    I have no info but Japan seems pretty stingy about letting players go off to do other things. V.League Final 8 begins January 11, pretty crucial time for a team to win some games. I'm waiting anxiously for Neriman to play with Turkish NT but would be very surprised if it happens this January. Have you heard some chatter that it might happen?

    She said that she is ready to join to the NT after she get things in order in her personal life

    Quote from MyNameIst.

    Most of the matches this weekend will be shown on dazn. I am stress right now. Like what can i do to watch those matches 😔😔

    Yeah, stress, man. I'm a stress machine every weekend wondering if I will get to see matches.


    At least this year there are about twice as many VTV matches as there were last year and they are twice as good quality--not full on pro broadcast, but close. Maybe it depends on what arena the match is being played in. Some are better than others.


    Last year there was a youtuber who uploaded beautiful 1080p streams starting the day after they aired, but they finally got busted. I'm convinced they resurfaced again and got busted again. I hope they make another comeback. I search youtube for matches in Japanese to see.


    Also-not sure if it's much of a consolation but VTV eventually makes all the matches available. I can't google translate if it's "7 days after broadcast" or "30 days after broadcast". Last year it was 30 days but it didn't matter because of that youtuber uploads.

    Four of the Five cancelled matches from opening weekend have been rescheduled to the Weekend of Rest between the end of the Regular Round (12/29) and the start of the Final 8 (Jan 11):


    Rescheduled matches (the ones originally to be held at Nishio City Gymnasium)

    Sat 4 Jan 2020

    12:00 Denso v Hisamitsu

    15:00 NEC v Okayama


    Sun 5 Jan 2020

    12:00 Denso v Okayama

    15:00 Hisamitsu v NEC


    Really changes the importance of the matches. They should have flipped them, though. Denso v Hisamitsu could be the match that decides the winner of the conference :) Should have scheduled that one for the last match of the season on the 5th.


    Toray v Saitama will probably also be rescheduled for that weekend but no word, yet.

    Okay, stress time Will they stream or won't they stream?


    And crap, what a burn. The two vtv matches are on at the same time :thumbdown:

    This must be streaming on Facebook or something?


    PFU v Toray


    https://volleyballismypassion.…pfu-blue-cats-19-10-2019/

    PFU takes set 1 :super: 25–23