a good day to see short-haired Arisa Sato. what a lovely
She looks about 12 years old in that photo. She turns 30 this summer. I just watched a couple Arisa Sato's Greatest Hits Youtubees in her honor. A master of Block Coverage, and such a soft body for taking the zing out of mega spikes and monster serves 
I miss her and wonder if her team, Ligare Sendai, will make it to the V.League before she retires
JVA just announced training camp for Universiade 2021 and that it will postpone training until health risks diminish. Players from this group will also play in the 2020 Asian Eastern Zonal Championship held, hopefully, in July.
Reigning College Champions Tsukuba's starting lineup, all 2nd and 3rd year players, all made the camp. Only one missing is Moeka Kinoe who will graduate this spring and start playing for NEC Red Rockets. Tsukuba is a wonderful team, lots of fun and talented. I can't wait for the rest of them to graduate and come to the V.League (fingers crossed), especially setter Manami Mandai 
She looks about 12 years old in that photo. She turns 30 this summer. I just watched a couple Arisa Sato's Greatest Hits Youtubees in her honor. A master of Block Coverage, and such a soft body for taking the zing out of mega spikes and monster serves
damn she will be so popular among int. fans if she stayed, but nvm, as long as she's happy 😁🤟🏻
I'm also worried about Ishikawa and Kurogo playing together. They were uncoordinated on court with Toray. Kurogo is not an OP. I'm not down with the Japanese MO of OP as a willy nilly part of the rotation.
I enjoyed Toray vs Okayama a lot. The first point was ace by Haruka (placed between Ishikawa n Kurogo) 
and the way way Okayama pinned Ishikawa to take the first ball hehe
I enjoyed Toray vs Okayama a lot. The first point was ace by Haruka (placed between Ishikawa n Kurogo)
It was even better than that 
First serve was an Ishikawa fail but stayed in play; second serve was a Ishikawa complete fail, lost point; the third one is the one Haruka put between them, Ishikawa and Kurogo silently blamed each other for not getting it; fourth serve Kurogo says eff this and jumps in front of Ishikawa and makes an excellent reception.
It was fascinating watching the two of them try to play together this year. Some people just don't mesh well. I believe Koga and Ishii have the same problem. Might have something to do with the "elder/senior" thing in Japanese culture. Gotta get all that worked out pretty soon. This is one of the reasons I liked the U20 squad so much. They were like a synchronized swim team, or a group of figure skaters, all swooshing around one another, keenly aware of each other's gravity.
damn she will be so popular among int. fans if she stayed, but nvm, as long as she's happy 😁🤟🏻
I think she's already starting her second career. Sendai is her hometown. I'll bet she'd like to get her team to the V.League before she quits playing, then take on some managerial role, or something.
I think she's already starting her second career. Sendai is her hometown. I'll bet she'd like to get her team to the V.League before she quits playing, then take on some managerial role, or something.
Arisa has been a playing head coach for Ligare
Arisa has been a playing head coach for Ligare
I assumed that's a temporary move until they find a new coach. Arisa strikes me as more of a people person who would prefer to wear a dress for her day job winning friends and influencing people
Might be good to have a libero coach, though, sort of like when Steve Kerr took over as Coach of the Warriors.
did they just updated players photos? convinced me this isn't photoshopped but they are so pretty anyway hehehe *cough* coach Nakada
https://www.jva.or.jp/index.ph…onal/hinotori_nippon/2020
just gonna drop Haruka's and Oikawa's
just gonna drop Haruka's and Oikawa's
Well, those two may have gotten an improvement but ...
What's with the war paint under the eyes of most of them? I can't believe how BAD bad BAD Japanese photographers are. What they did do with this batch is get most of them to smile, but they have NO concept of lighting or hair.
A big part of a photographer's job is get the subject to offer their best. Japanese photographers usually fail at this. And did I mention they have no concept of lighting or hair?
Well most ladies who are getting photographed put on a white foundation as a first step and then their second foundation over it. If not done correctly, the white shows. This is the case. Don’t ask me why, I don’t wear makeup so I can’t explain any more.
Natural beauty (Japanese beauty 😍)>>>
Make-up looks weird the majority of time lol hate it, I only like art-style make-up.
With that said Maxwell I'm guessing you're talking about concealer. The girls might have overdone the highlight too. I think the major fault here is with the camera squad though, decent make-up can look bad with bad camera-work.
I think the major fault here is with the camera squad though
Usually it's a package, I think. The camera squad should have a make-up squad--a make-up team who knows that the first purpose of make-up in a photo shoot is to prevent glare! (well maybe after concealing blemishes, but still)
And then you do a proof or two before posting them on the web 
Sadly though, these photos are an improvement in many ways over some past attempts. They should have hired Himeji's photographer
I'm still disappointed Shion Hirayama wasn't invited to NT along with her U20 cohorts and coach. (and a little puzzled, frankly, but I understand those who made the decision know a ton more than I do).
I was bored last night so I looked at the last few points of the matches from the Summer of U20 Gold to see who was getting the call to finish, because I think there's value in being the player who gets that call. Not surprisingly, it was everybody - not Mayu Ishikawa.
Shion got the call at 23-23 against Korea in ACh, with Osanai and Ishikawa ultimately finishing it in overtime. Ishikawa got the Golden last two points against Thailand with a kill followed by an ace. Props to her.
At 13-12 in the U20 SF against Russia, Shion took it home: first one up the middle, MB-style, second one from wide right OP style (with an assist from YOLO, after serving the ball, with her fake decoy swing that kept the Russian MB busy LOL)
YOLO took the last two swings (successfully) against Italy for Gold (with 173cm Ishikawa ultimately getting the last two points with blocks--but that was more Italy Choke than Ishikawa block prowess).
Coach Lovebunny let the kids play weird and creatively. Setter Tsukasa Nakagawa got about 0.01% of the love she deserved for the brilliant way she used both Shion and YOLO up the middle and wide right throughout the summer.
Sadly, Shion signed with Hisamitsu Prison so she didn't play this club season 
non stop updates from JVA ig for Male NT, zzz
is Women NT on break or something?
non stop updates from JVA ig for Male NT, zzz
is Women NT on break or something?
I believe, in the announcement about the Universiade Squad members invitation (up thread), they did say that all interviews and such (coverage?) would stop
I kinda have bad feeling but don't wanna jinxed it ha ha ha
I kinda have bad feeling but don't wanna jinxed it ha ha ha
I kinda have bad feeling but don't wanna jinxed it ha ha ha
Why do they look so pissed off? 
haha still got 2 spots, but Iwasaka wasnt ther 