Japan Women’s NT 2020

  • 30 player roster released this morning


    Captain is Erika Araki


    Middle blockers: Eika Araki, Aika Akutagawa, Mai Okumura, Nana Iwasaka, Aya Watanabe, Mai Irisawa, Mayu Oikawa, Nichika Yamada

    Outside Hitters (includes Opposites): Sarina Koga, Riss Shinnabe, Yuki Ishii, Yurie Nabeya, Ai Kurogo, Mayu Ishikawa, Miwako Osanai, Yuri Yoshino, Arisa Inoue, Rei Kudo, Kotona Hayashi, Haruna Soga

    Setters: Haruka Miyashita, Kanami Tashiro, Miya Sato, Nanami Seki, Tamaki Matsui

    Liberos: Mako Kobata, Kotoe Inoue, Akane Yamagishi, Rena Mizusugi


    It is going to be a hard roster cut down for the Olympic 12.

  • Setters in:

    • Tamaki Matsui (JWCPE, just signed with Denso, Asian Championship w/U20 squad)

    Setters out:

    • Koyomi Tominaga (Saitama)

    Liberos in:

    • Rena Mizusugi (Kinrankai, Toray, U20)

    Middle Blockers in:

    • Mayu Oikawa (Aoyama Gakuin, Okayama 22 y/old Teen Idol losing her smile)
    • Nichika Yamada (NEC, U20)

    Middle Blockers out:

    • Haruyo Shimamura (NEC)

    Opposites in:

    • YOLO (aka Haruna Soga, Kinrankai, NEC, U20)

    Opposites out:

    • Miyu Nakagawa (Hisamitsu, U20)

    Outside Hitters in:

    • Arisa Inoue (Hisamitsu)
    • Rei Kudo (Denso)
    • Kotona Hayashi (JT)

    Outside Hitters out:

    • Yuka Imamura (Hisamitsu)
    • Reina Tokoku (Denso)
    • Ameze Miyabe (Kinrankai U20))
    • Mami Uchiseto (Toyota)
  • Obligatory Critique :)


    Setters: Aki Momii instead of Nanami Seki

    • Aki Momii (JT) This kid is big (for japanese), left-handed, plays great defense, and just won the V.League Championship right out of high school (5/7 on kills in the Final). Oops Kumi :(
    • Nanami Seki (Toray) didn't show nearly the spark she had last year. She's small and panics
    • Tamaki Matsui Brilliant!


    Libero: With the two best liberos in the world it doesn't really matter who else is there


    Middle Blockers:

    • Shion Hirayama (Hisamitsu) was the quiet, laser-focused, crazy style beast of the U20 Champs. You could see her growing every day, but she signed with Hisamitsu :( and put a stop to that growth. Too bad
    • Great to see Mayu Oikawa and Nichika Yamada

    Opposites:

    • Miyu Kubota (Hitachi) is a dedicated, high volume receiving (57%) OP (39%). Instead of playing willy nilly with the NT OP position, they should have gone with someone who understands and loves the right side to back up YOLO and Risa. Lose one of the OHs for her instead of making one of the guitar players play bass :cursing:

    Outside Hitters:

    • Syuka Kaneda (Okayama) was the best all around OH in the league this year but she lacks something. I think she would find it with NT training. Shucks
    • Kudos to Kudo. She's got fire
    • Hayashi might be the under the radar revelation. She's smart (knows how to score on a broken play), receives well, is fast, and etc
    • Arisa Inoue is a fine attacker but she is a less than zero defender. Boo
  • Miyu Nagaoka still MIA :( Ai Kurogo moves into her relinquished Jersey #1. Good psychological move. Kurogo needs to be healthy and confident this summer.

  • :obey:Coach Noboru Aihara (U19/20 concurrently) has joined the team for 2020 :box::thumbup:



    He's not taking over for Nakada (yet), just helping her. I hope he gets to run airplane laps. Great for TV :super:

  • Pray to God that Ms Nakada listens to him

    The fact that YOLO, Yamada, Mizusugi, and Matsui are there suggests she may already be listening. Only missing piece, very sadly, is Shion Hirayama :(.


    But I'd like to stress as forcefully as I can: I have absolutely no idea :dance6:


    I hope Coach Lovebunny gets the spot on the sidelines so he can do airplane impersonations. I think it's possible. Kumi is the ultimate decision maker (I imagine), Lovebunny is their biggest fan and motivational guru. And he's great PR for the team on TV around the world.


    But, again, I'd like to stress as forcefully as I can: I have absolutely no idea :olympia:

  • Pray to God that Ms Nakada listens to him

    This sounds very sexist to me.

    Favorite players: M: Maxim Mikhaylov, Murilo, Serginho, Aaron Russell, Otavio, Simone Giannelli, Ivan Zaytsev, Tsvetan Sokolov, Michał Kubiak, Mariusz Wlazly, Pawel Zagummy W: Sheilla, Zhu Ting, Natalia, Fe Garay, Fofao, Gabi, Thaisa, Foluke Akinradewo, Wei Qiuyue, Ding Xia, Carli Lloyd, Fabi, Natalia Goncharova, Yuko Sano, Saoris Kimura and Sakoda


    #FreeBritney

  • This sounds very sexist to me.

    This sounds very patronizing to me

  • This sounds very patronizing to me

    And so?


    I don't mind your senseless whataboutism but it doesn't cancel out the sexist stuff being said by the person I commented to in any form whatsoever.

    Favorite players: M: Maxim Mikhaylov, Murilo, Serginho, Aaron Russell, Otavio, Simone Giannelli, Ivan Zaytsev, Tsvetan Sokolov, Michał Kubiak, Mariusz Wlazly, Pawel Zagummy W: Sheilla, Zhu Ting, Natalia, Fe Garay, Fofao, Gabi, Thaisa, Foluke Akinradewo, Wei Qiuyue, Ding Xia, Carli Lloyd, Fabi, Natalia Goncharova, Yuko Sano, Saoris Kimura and Sakoda


    #FreeBritney

  • And so?


    I don't mind your senseless whataboutism but it doesn't cancel out the sexist stuff being said by the person I commented to in any form whatsoever.

    lol, you got a namecall for every occasion


    Lighten up. I think she was speaking to the recent track record of the two coaches. Why don't you ask her, since you are unsure

  • This sounds very sexist to me.

    Urhmmmm what? LOL


    All I was saying is that, based on what the NT and the U20 have shown in the past year, Coach Nakada can learn a thing or two from Coach Lovebunny (I'm stealing this from you sitenoise, the name fits him 8o) . My comment is purely about her capability as a coach and her lack of progress with the NT, and has nothing to do with her being female.


    The U20 team brings back the vitality of JP Volleyball that we sorely miss, and I simply hope that Coach Lovebunny, who was behind the U20, can bring some of the to the (tired) NT. Again, it is all about who is more capable. Hope that clarify the misunderstanding :drink:

  • I hope Coach Lovebunny gets the spot on the sidelines so he can do airplane impersonations. I think it's possible.

    I'd be very funny to see Coach Lovebunny doing airplane impersonations around grim-faced Nakada :lol:


    Also, I wonder why Kaneda wasn't called. And I don't want to have to choose between Inoue and Kobata. The 2-lib system is perfect ;(

  • I'd be very funny to see Coach Lovebunny doing airplane impersonations around grim-faced Nakada :lol:


    Also, I wonder why Kaneda wasn't called. And I don't want to have to choose between Inoue and Kobata. The 2-lib system is perfect ;(

    Given the non-ordinary way that Ferhat chaired the timeout meetings when he was around, I think it's entirely possible that Japan lets Lovebunny play the sideline coach. Probably just wishful thinking, though.


    I could have sworn I'd seen Kaneda play in some U-tournaments a few years ago but I can't find her listed in any roster. I think I may have mixed her up with Hikari Kato. The thing I like about Kaneda, beyond her being a superb defensive player, is that you can see major improvement over the last 2-3 years. I love seeing improvement.


    The other "improver" I miss greatly is Shion Hirayama. She's 'ying' to YOLO's 'yang'. Can't tell which one is OP and which one is MB at any given time. I'm not sure YOLO has as much to offer without Shion there to mix things up. They were a great tag team. Shion, the silent leader, YOLO the boisterous one.


    I recently read an article that described how Japan picks players for the OG but I can't find it now. There's a whole bunch of committees with physical and psychological analysts.


    This move to bring on Lovebunny and the U20 Champ players should have started with the World Cup when they were HOT:!:The pressure and circumstances are different now.

  • You think the U20 team should have gone to World Cup??

  • You think the U20 team should have gone to World Cup??

    I've detailed this out over there somewhere. The week spot was 2nd OH, so beef that up with Ishii and Kurogo (in place of U20 Yuki Nishikawa), and take one, if not both of the Senior liberos (Kobata and Inoue). The third U20 MB had to go back to school so grab Araki for moral support, and size, and experience lol


    World Cup would have been the best next hurdle for that squad because of the other team structures: A few Killers; a few big but less organized teams; and some regular B Teams.


    Ishikawa was already there, the rest are on the squad now except for MB Hirayama ;( They had great chemistry and momentum and Coach. I would've done it for sure :)

  • They're doing an Okayama imitation? :|


    [Edit] I look at that photo and think WTF is this "Serious Casual" thing they're going for ?(