Japan Women’s NT 2020

    TBS Interview with Erika last Monday


    *trans via shojigen

    - there will be drastic changes to the NT's strategy for major games (not seen during the remote match)

    - she says the women's NT currently doesn't have a "face" (so it's definitely not Ishii)

    - she admits that the NT is lacking -something- but doesn't specify on which area

    - there's more pressure for the women's NT to perform better since the men's NT has been doing incredibly well and because Tokyo Olympics have been a very sensitive topic among the general public she says they really hope to make the most of next year's international games.

    - she hopes more people will support women's teams in general to motivate the players

    - her daughter isn't showing interest in volleyball atm so Erika can't say for sure if her daughter will play volleyball when she grows up


    uploaded yesterday on tbs official yt

    Is ishii considered mediocre or what? I guess I don't know her achievements but a familiar face for sure. Is she a core force in the NT now? she's probably one of the longest members along with Araki. On the Asian side, I don't think the likes of Zhu Ting, KYK or even Nootsara knows who that is

    Quote from Hassan Kadem

    Is ishii considered mediocre or what? I guess I don't know her achievements but a familiar face for sure. Is she a core force in the NT now? she's probably one of the longest members along with Araki. On the Asian side, I don't think the likes of Zhu Ting, KYK or even Nootsara knows who that is

    Yuki is Montreux Volley Masters level good. I like Yuki.

    what does "face" mean? Like most popular team member?

    Quote from zhutingfan

    what does "face" mean? Like most popular team member?

    For me "face" is the answer to the question: Who do you think of when you think of the team? Everyone can have their personal favorites and whatnot, but the general consensus has to reach critical mass somehow, for some reason: good play, a keen fashion sense, comic timing, whatever. And you can have more than one face. Thailand NT has many faces. Japan needs to work on it

    Quote from sitenoise

    For me "face" is the answer to the question: Who do you think of when you think of the team? Everyone can have their personal favorites and whatnot, but the general consensus has to reach critical mass somehow, for some reason: good play, a keen fashion sense, comic timing, whatever. And you can have more than one face. Thailand NT has many faces. Japan needs to work on it

    .... yeah Saori Kimura retired a while ago.

    Quote from sitenoise

    For me "face" is the answer to the question: Who do you think of when you think of the team? Everyone can have their personal favorites and whatnot, but the general consensus has to reach critical mass somehow, for some reason: good play, a keen fashion sense, comic timing, whatever. And you can have more than one face. Thailand NT has many faces. Japan needs to work on it

    Japan has plenty of side "faces" like FIVB fave Kobata but no outstanding ace to front as the central representative member the way Saori did. They have dependable players like Ishii and Nabeya. Though I suppose JVA has to let one of their seasoned spikers temporarily take on that role.


    Btw Yell Bukatsu asked Ebata since she's still active why she stopped aiming for the NT. Unfortunately there's no available translation and I don't think my mutuals on twitter understood my question.

    Quote from Phoenix

    The ace of the team like Gabi is to Brazil or Zhu Ting to China etc. Japan lacks an ace with actual clout. Nagaoka should have been that had she not been injured twice. We'll see if Kurogo or Mayu snatches that title

    Wouldn't tandara be the face of the team? or natalia if she's still active?

    Quote from Brtkk

    I think Brazil more than one. Thaisa, Gabi Natalia, Tandara

    Jacqueline and Sheila as well. Right now, Gabi and Tandara.


    for Japan the press look to the High School stars first. Kurogo and Mayu get a lot of tv time due to their school being one the best in Japan.


    Yuki Ishii is one of the core on the Japanese national team.


    Erika stands out most due to being a mother and playing at a really high level, and also being the NT captain.


    Ebata has been injured and on a bad team with PFU now, she’s not even on the radar.

    Just saw this video on Saori Kimura during the 2012 Olympic Quarterfinals against China. She decided in the first set after a line shot went out that she wasn’t hitting line the rest of the day. Only from the back row would she hit straight. Think about that she had 33 points (32 kills, 1 block) and the majority of those kills went cross court and China could not stop it. Ebata also had 31 kills too. Oddly China was out blocked 11-10.

    https://youtu.be/xI__nuLtDbk

    Quote from brahmin

    Just saw this video on Saori Kimura during the 2012 Olympic Quarterfinals against China. She decided in the first set after a line shot went out that she wasn’t hitting line the rest of the day. Only from the back row would she hit straight. Think about that she had 33 points (32 kills, 1 block) and the majority of those kills went cross court and China could not stop it. Ebata also had 31 kills too. Oddly China was out blocked 11-10.

    https://youtu.be/xI__nuLtDbk

    That was an intense match. London 2012 has quite the dramatic quarter finals. Japan with 2 players managing to score more than 33 points each; Russia losing an epic match against Brazil with Sokolova, Gamova, and Goncharova scoring more than 20 points each; and Italy shockingly lost to Korea.

    Quote from brahmin

    Jacqueline and Sheila as well. Right now, Gabi and Tandara.


    for Japan the press look to the High School stars first. Kurogo and Mayu get a lot of tv time due to their school being one the best in Japan.


    Yuki Ishii is one of the core on the Japanese national team.


    Erika stands out most due to being a mother and playing at a really high level, and also being the NT captain.


    Ebata has been injured and on a bad team with PFU now, she’s not even on the radar.

    PFU has really gone downhill but hopefully Ebata should be okay now. She's going to participate this season. It would be great if she could rejoin the NT again.


    Ishii is not an ace, not a top scorer, not an mvp and was never considered best at anything. The only time she stood out was when Shinnabe, Koga and Kurogo were at their weakest.


    If things go right for Nagaoka this time, she should be the face.

    Quote from Hassan Kadem

    PFU has really gone downhill but hopefully Ebata should be okay now. She's going to participate this season. It would be great if she could rejoin the NT again.


    Ishii is not an ace, not a top scorer, not an mvp and was never considered best at anything. The only time she stood out was when Shinnabe, Koga and Kurogo were at their weakest.


    If things go right for Nagaoka this time, she should be the face.

    Ebata rejoining the NT or rather Nakada setting eyes on her is a long shot. I think Ebata should help lift PFU's image first. A lot of younger players are fighting for the spot. Plus Nakada said it herself, her focus is on Nagaoka's revival and Toray's combo.


    Tbh it's impossible to tell if any drastic changes will occur after this season. Motivation is also an issue for a lot of players right now, even Nishida is talking about it.

    Quote from Phoenix

    Ebata rejoining the NT or rather Nakada setting eyes on her is a long shot. I think Ebata should help lift PFU's image first. A lot of younger players are fighting for the spot. Plus Nakada said it herself, her focus is on Nagaoka's revival and Toray's combo.


    Tbh it's impossible to tell if any drastic changes will occur after this season. Motivation is also an issue for a lot of players right now, even Nishida is talking about it.

    Agreed. Ebata rarely gets off the bench with PFU. The NT is not an option.


    I guess it wouldn't be that drastic to send Nakada packing and put Coach Lovebunny in charge, but to be fair-ish to Nakada I think she took the job assuming Nagaoka and Kurogo would be her foundation this cycle. That didn't happen. Think if it would have. A lot of people seem to think of Japan as this "thing" rather than a group of individual players whose health and appearance matter a lot, just like every other team in the world.

    Quote from Hassan Kadem

    Ishii is not an ace, not a top scorer, not an mvp and was never considered best at anything. The only time she stood out was when Shinnabe, Koga and Kurogo were at their weakest.

    Have a look at Yuki's record. She's got many accomplishments, but I've been saying since this cycle started that Japan NT will never win anything if/when Yuki is a starter top dog. Yuki needs to be that player sitting on the bench reminding those on the floor that if they nap for a moment she will replace them. She plays better when that happens. She's good for 20-25 swings and she's a rock solid, reliable over a long period of time, receiver. And she's the best non-libero floor defender Japan has [Edit] except for Miyashita.

    Quote from sitenoise

    Agreed. Ebata rarely gets off the bench with PFU. The NT is not an option.


    I guess it wouldn't be that drastic to send Nakada packing and put Coach Lovebunny in charge, but to be fair-ish to Nakada I think she took the job assuming Nagaoka and Kurogo would be her foundation this cycle. That didn't happen. Think if it would have. A lot of people seem to think of Japan as this "thing" rather than a group of individual players whose health and appearance matter a lot, just like every other team in the world.

    Wasn't it Aihara's suggestion to revive Nagaoka


    Quote from Phoenix

    Wasn't it Aihara's suggestion to revive Nagaoka

    I have no idea on that. Apparently he was the one who "discovered" her many years ago, and they won a couple HS Championships together. Would have been three but something weird happened in 2010 and they didn't hold a championship.


    And just because it's how I roll, I'll point out that Erika Chuman, 9-ball Panasonic Bluebell extraordinaire was part of the squad (as were many other names we know and love)

    Ishii is reliable but if anything, she's more of a filler. She's not that player that will increase the chances of a team to make it far. She wasn't even able to push Hisamitsu to the top as a captain, they sank. Her spike speed tends to be slower and then her attacks become overly predictable. Shinnabe was the one who handled all the tough attacks.