Japan Women’s NT 2020

  • Tokyo Challenge Cup (aka Ariake Arena Test Match 2020)

    April 22–26

    China, Japan, Thailand, Chinese Taipei



    Ai Kurogo is being featured in a lot of the whoopy whoopy Tokyo 2020 PR which is partly because the kids love her from High School, but also because Japan has to be hoping she's healthy and confident this summer. Nagaoka isn't coming back and there's no one else.


    Sarina Koga? I don't know if she was featured in ads for Rio before getting cut.

  • Anyone elso also think that the girls look much much better make-up free? haha

    I don't think it's makeup. They don't overdo it. They just aren't good at posing or looking tough. Yuki's okay because she doesn't give a poop. I really don't get the somber tough angle they promote. It's not what I think of when I think of Japanese Volleyball.

  • Must be devastating for Thailand to miss out on the actual games and participate in the practice round instead.

  • Must be devastating for Thailand to miss out on the actual games and participate in the practice round instead.

    I was thinking that, too. Who do you think China will send? Is there value in getting some swings ahead of time where the games will be held --not that China needs any help, lol. I wish they invited North Korea. Don't get to see them play much, not that we're going to see these matches, but just in case.

  • I was thinking that, too. Who do you think China will send? Is there value in getting some swings ahead of time where the games will be held --not that China needs any help, lol. I wish they invited North Korea. Don't get to see them play much, not that we're going to see these matches, but just in case.

    Probably the 12 that Jenny intends to send to the actual event, to get them "acclimatized" to the stadium. I would be very surprised if the starting players do not go because it's such a good opportunity. I'm not sure if Jenny said it herself about the value of this "test run" or if it was the media but Jenny did emphasize in previous tournaments the value of having practiced in the stadium before the competition took place.


    If there's one thing Jenny tries to avoid, it's getting beaten by Guidetti's team in the first match of the group phase again. The last thing she wants is to end up 4th and face Serbia in Qfs

  • Gotta hope Club performance has nothing to do with NT:


    NEC - 8th place (3 NT players)

    Hisamitsu - 7th place (4 NT players)

    Toray - 6th place (4NT players)

    Toyota - 5th place (2 NT players)

    Denso - 4th place - (6 NT players)

    Saitama - 3rd place (2 NT players)

    Okayama - 2nd place (2 NT players)

    JT Marvelous - 1st place (3 NT players)


    The core of the NT is from the bottom half: Koga, Ishii, Shinabe, Iwasaka, Kurogo, Ishikawa, Araki.


    A real shame Okayama's Syuuka Kaneda wasn't invited. She was BY FAR the highest scoring local swinger (she took almost as many swings as Neriman), though her batting average was medium range (37.9%) she was still way better than every NT member except Ishikawa (39.2%). And she was BY FAR the best non-libero receiver 65.4% (except Risa, but that goes without saying) with way more receptions (462) than any NT member except Ishikawa. In addition, though non-statistical, Kaneda is the league's best non-libero defensive player. BY FAR!

  • i'm gonna be honest, I have little hope for Japanese NT at this point, their non-NT players seem to be better currently but it's pointless to change it all up now just before Olympics. New team based on league perf. needed next cycle.

  • i'm gonna be honest, I have little hope for Japanese NT at this point, their non-NT players seem to be better currently but it's pointless to change it all up now just before Olympics. New team based on league perf. needed next cycle.

    I still have hope, but expectations are greatly diminished :lol:

  • i'm gonna be honest, I have little hope for Japanese NT at this point, their non-NT players seem to be better currently but it's pointless to change it all up now just before Olympics. New team based on league perf. needed next cycle.

    Hisamitsu won how many titles a row in this cycle?

  • Great for Hisamitsu and their history! That won't help them at NT though with the current form.

    To be fair, we don't really know how club performance predicts NT, but it's scary when it's so bad 8|


    It's going to be interesting to see if there is any pivot made this year. VNL could make a big difference for a few players, but my gut tells me that Japan will remain conservative and the OG Squad will be:

    • Setter: Sato & Miyashita
    • Libero: Kobata (I'm cool with that but I like Inoue more because she looks cooler)
    • MB: Araki & Iwasaka & Okumura & ...
    • Swingers: Ishii & Shinabe & Kurogo & Ishikawa & Koga & ...

    4 MBs or 6 OHs or 2 Liberos? ... dunno.


    The setter is an unknown, but that's my gut prediction.


    Akutagawa would most likely be 4th in line at MB. It's too bad Nichika Yamada (U20 hero) missed more than half the the back end of the season with injury (presumably). She averaged the same number of blocks per set as Sinéad Jack when she did play. If she's healthy and gets a chance at VNL she might have a shot.


    The 6th swinger spot would likely go to Nabeya. I'm sure it will be decided on reception more than scoring. That would give JT's Hayashi a chance. I'd go with YOLO because a dedicated OP seems better than an "Okay, your turn" OP, but YOLO's reception was not so good this season and she also suffered an injury and missed the final third of the season. And she's less effective offensively without Shion Hirayama in there to mix things up.


    Of the 29 players chosen, the only one I saw fighting for a spot on the OG roster was Mayu Ishikawa, all 173cm of her. She played aggressively which means errors and the first rule of Japan NT is "Don't make mistakes" so I don't know how secure she is.


    Everyone has to do their job well for Japan to be competitive. Kurogo has to have an off-the-charts summer if Japan wants to win anything.

  • Tashiro and Miyashita for setters.

    Nabeya will be in the lineup as the spark plug of the bench. Having two Liberos when you only have 12 spots is not smart in my opinion. Either Kobata or Inoue will be fine in their position.

    In the middle, Akutagawa will probably be the fourth player.

    As for the other outside hitters It depends on Ishikawa. If she does well in VNL she’s on the roster.

  • vote! :win: some random poll I found :P


    http://vbm.link/38463/

    LOL So far it's almost the same as, well, brahmin predicted. He got the setter right. The only oddball is Mayu Oikawa, from the 22 Year old Teen Idol teasing campaign. She's a good player. OG material or Fan Service?


    The numbers are their position in the poll. Everyone loves Haruka :)


    Setter

    1 Haruka Miyashita 6.72% (2,866 votes)

    12 Kanami Tashiro 3.72% (1,587 votes)


    Libero

    6 Kotoe Inoue 5.1% (2,175 votes)


    Middle Blocker

    4 Mayu Oikawa 5.16% (2,199 votes)

    7 Erika Araki 5% (2,130 votes)

    10 Mai Okumura 4.62% (1,971 votes)

    11 Akia Akutagawa 3.87% (1,650 votes)


    Swingers

    2 Ishikawa Mayu 6.11% (2,604 votes)

    3 Yuki Ishii 5.27% (2,248 votes)

    5 Ai Kurogo 5.12% (2,184 votes)

    8 Sarina Koga 4.85% (2,070 votes)

    9 Risa Shinnabe 4.66% (1,986 votes)


    It's sad to get to the bottom and see who isn't getting love :(


    Who are the All Japan Women's National Teams you want to see at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics?


    Total Votes: 42,637

  • thanks for making it look nicer :lol: I don't know how to do that lol


    Haruka being competing w Mayu from the beginning, now the gap is wider, I'm willing to share :rose:glad that she's still popular hee


    Kinda feel bad for Iwasaka too, Aya Watanabe was last in the beginning (Iwasaka 2nd last), but now she's climbing.