Japan - V.League V2 (Division 2, Women) 2020–2021

Japan - V.League V2 (Division 2, Women) 2020–2021

Participating teams

2020-21 V.LEAGUE DIVISION2 WOMEN Final Standings

Award Winners

Regular Round begins October 31, 2020 (Saturday) and ends March 7, 2021 (Sunday). Matches are played every Saturday and Sunday (Winter Break - December 7, 2020 to January 8, 2021)

• No Conferences, No Final Stage. The Regular Round is a triple Round Robin of 9 teams playing each other three times. Twenty-four matches per team for a total of 108 matches. At the end of the Regular Round teams are ranked and winner takes all. Teams will be ranked in the Regular Round by:
• Wins ->Points ->Set Percentage ->Scoring Rate (Changed to Win Rate due to covid)
  

Empress' Cup Final Round is scheduled for December 11–20, 2020. All the preliminary rounds were cancelled.

Final Round Results:

V.Challenge Match: April 3–4

The top two finishers of V.League Division 2 will compete against the bottom two finishers of V1 (11th and 12th place in the Final League Ranking) for promotion/relegation

• V1 11th place team will compete against the V2 2nd place finisher
• V1 12th place team will compete against the V2 1st place finisher
  • If either of the V2 teams do not have an S1 License their match will not be held

Sat 03 Apr 2021

12:00 Toyota v Brilliant Aries -- Nagaoka City Gymnasium

15:00 Kurobe v Gunma Bank -- Nagaoka City Gymnasium

Sun 04 Apr 2021

12:00 Toyota v Brilliant Aries -- Nagaoka City Gymnasium

15:00 Kurobe v Gunma Bank -- Nagaoka City Gymnasium

Kurowashiki (Black Eagle Flag) Tournament: April 30–May 5, 2021 Canceled

2020-2021 Regular Round Schedule

All times are JST (UTC+9)

SAT 31 Oct 2020

SUN 01 Nov 2020

SAT 07 Nov 2020

SUN 08 Nov 2020

SAT 14 Nov 2020

SUN 15 Nov 2020

SAT 21 Nov 2020

SUN 22 Nov 2020

SAT 28 Nov 2020

SUN 29 Nov 2020

SAT 05 Dec 2020

SUN 06 Dec 2020

SAT 09 Jan 2021

11:00 Chiba Angel Cross v Breath Hamamatsu (cancelled)

11:00 Hiroshima Ohno Oilers v JA Gifu Rioreina (cancelled)

13:00 Brilliant Aries v Prestige International (cancelled)

15:00 Gunma Bank Green Wings v GSS Tokyo Sunbeams (cancelled)

SUN 10 Jan 2021

11:00 Hiroshima Ohno Oilers v Forest Leaves Kumamoto (cancelled)

12:00 Prestige International v Breath Hamamatsu (cancelled)

14:00 Gunma Bank Green Wings v Chiba Angel Cross (cancelled)

SAT 16 Jan 2021

SUN 17 Jan 2021

SAT 23 Jan 2021

SUN 24 Jan 2021

SAT 30 Jan 2021

SUN 31 Jan 2021

SAT 6 Feb 2021

SUN 7 Feb 2021

12:00 GSS Tokyo Sunbeams v Forest Leaves Kumamoto (cancelled)

13:00 Prestige International v Chiba Angel Cross (cancelled)

14:00 Hiroshima Ohno Oilers v Breath Hamamatsu (cancelled)

13:00 Brilliant Aries v Prestige International (cancelled)

SAT 13 Feb 2021

13:00 Prestige International v Hiroshima Ohno Oilers (cancelled)

13:00 Chiba Angel Cross v Brilliant Aries (cancelled)

15:00 Gunma Bank Green Wings v Forest Leaves Kumamoto (cancelled)

15:00 GSS Tokyo Sunbeams v JA Gifu Rioreina (cancelled)

SUN 14 Feb 2021

Sat 20 Feb 2021

13:00 JA Gifu Rioreina v Gunma Bank Green Wings (cancelled)

13:00 Breath Hamamatsu v GSS Tokyo Sunbeams (cancelled)

15:00 Hiroshima Ohno Oilers v Chiba Angel Cross (cancelled)

Sat 21 Feb 2021

13:00 JA Gifu Rioreina v Chiba Angel Cross (cancelled)

13:00 Breath Hamamatsu v Prestige International (cancelled)

Sat 27 Feb 2021

Sat 28 Feb 2021

12:00 Forest Leaves Kumamoto v Hiroshima Ohno Oilers (cancelled)

12:00 Chiba Angel Cross v Breath Hamamatsu (cancelled)

15:00 Brilliant Aries v Gunma Bank Green Wings (cancelled)

Sat 06 Mar 2021

Sun 07 Mar 2021

12:00 Chiba Angel Cross v Forest Leaves Kumamoto (cancelled)

14:00 Breath Hamamatsu v JA Gifu Rioreina (cancelled)

16:00 GSS Tokyo Sunbeams v Brilliant Aries (cancelled)

Breath Hamamatsu - ブレス 浜松

Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture

Fukuroi City, Shizuoka Prefecture

Head Coach: Yoshihiro Hamada

Setter:

• Harima Wakana
• Hirona Hirai * ( Kobe Gakuin University )
• Kumina Shimabara * ( Kaetsu University )

Libero:

• Kanako Nakamichi * ( Circulation Science )
• Misaki Matsukawa

Middle Blocker:

• Chihiro Fujiwara
• Nana Asano * ( Chukyo )
• Rina Nakasai
• Yoi Miyasaki * ( Asahikawa Jitsugyo )

Outside Hitter:

• Haruka Tada (C)
• Hina Kumamoto
• Mao Takada
• Mayuko Mizukami
• Mio Takahashi
• Yuna Ogawa

Opposite:

• Yuki Nakano * ( NSSU )
• Ayaka Kato
• Shiho Suguro

Brilliant Aries - ( ルートインホテルズ ) ブリリアントアリーズ

Ueda City, Nagano Prefecture

Head Coach: Takayoshi Matsumoto *

Setter:

• Rina Sasaki
• Fuuka Shiraishi
• Miho Yokota * ( Tsukuba )

Libero:

• Mayu Mizutani
• Aya Ishii

Middle Blocker:

• Emi Kishimura
• Syuka Iwamoto * ( Kaetsu University )
• Natsumi Komoda * ( Nihon University )

Outside Hitter:

• Ami Kosaka
• Ami Takahashi (C)
• Kaho Hirahara
• Ai Tsunada
  
• Yuka Tomizawa * ( Waseda University )
  
• Nana Hirano * ( Kokushikan University )
• Maki Yamaguchi * ( Kokushikan University )

Opposite:

• Mika Murayama * ( Nagano University )

Chiba Angel Cross - 千葉 エンゼル クロス

Kashiwa City, Chiba Prefecture
Nagareyama City, Chiba Prefecture

Head Coach: Noriaki Mameda

Setter:

• Mai Okamura
• Nene Nahara (C)

Libero:

• Kazuha Tsurugasaki
• Yu Furukawa

Middle Blocker:

• Yukari Morita * ( Kyoto Tachibana University )
• Yuka Sekine
• Akari Tokuishi

Outside Hitter:

• Mai Jono
• Ayana Ishikawa
• Konatsu Shibukawa
• Nami Yoshida
• Shiori Kimura
• Yuka Nakajima
• Kana Tsuruta
• Minami Matsubara

Forest Leaves Kumamoto - フォレストリーヴズ熊本
Kumamoto City, Kumamoto Prefecture
Koshi City, Kumamoto Prefecture
Kamiamakusa City, Kumamoto Prefecture

Head Coach: Momoko Wada *

Setter:

• Kurumi Nanri
• Chisato Wada
• Moe Hiraizumi

Libero:

• Aoi Matsumoto * ( Tokai Mermaids )
• Misuzu Hayashi
• Momoka Kawai
• Kotone Ito * ( Tajimi Nishi HS )

Middle Blocker:

• Ririka Yanagisako * ( Sohseikan HS )
• Ayami Irie
• Rina Horinouchi * ( NoSmilers )
• Noriko Wada * ( Breath Hamamatsu )

Outside Hitter:

• Misaki Ooki
• Miku Kawaguchi (C)
• Ayaka Sakida * ( Osaka International )
• Ayano Shichijyo * ( Nagasaki Women's Junior College )

Opposite:

• Ranna Shiraiwa * ( Kurobe )

GSS Tokyo Sunbeams - GSS 東京 サンビームズ
Chuo, Tokyo
Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture

Head Coach: Tomomi Shikama (and player)

Setter:

• Minami Matsuura (C)
• Yukiko Matsuo * ( Prestige International )
• Mao Kuroda * ( International Budo University )

Libero:

• Saki Hiraiwa
• Moe Ohara
• Ayano Kudo
• Akari Maemura
• Hatsune Hatakeyama * ( Hokusho University )

Middle Blocker:

• Mizuki Toyota
• Honoka Furukawa
• Yuka Oikawa
• Shin-ji Zhang
• Asumi Gaya
• Saki Yamamoto
• Yuki Honma * ( Prestige International )
• Rika Sakagaito * ( JF Oberlin )

Outside Hitter:

• Yuki Arikawa
• Tomomi Shikama
• Sakiko Katsumi
• Satsuki Takeuchi
• Kimi Ito * ( Gunma Bank Green Wings )
• Chinami Tsuchiya * ( Gunma Bank Green Wings )
• Kaiho Koizumi * ( Musashigaoka )
• Momona Sakurada * ( TWCPE )

Opposite:

• Ryoko Atago * ( Gunma Bank Green Wings )
• Hanako Nishijyo

Gunma Bank Green Wings - 群馬銀行グリーンウイングス
Maebashi City, Gunma Prefecture

Head Coach: Hiro Takahashi

Setter:

• Ai Fujiwara * ( Yuri High School )
• Ayane Furuichi (C)
• Kaede Kurita

Libero:

• Nonoka Uechi

Middle Blocker:

• Hibiki Suzuki
• Wakana Yasufuku

Outside Hitter:

• Airi Kobayashi
• Akane Terasaka
• Haruna Sakamoto
• Juna Ito * ( Fukuoka University )
• Runa Tanaka
• Sho Arai
• Yuika Nakata * ( Hiroshima Oilers )

(Ohno Group) Hiroshima Oilers - (大野石油) 広島 オイラーズ
Minami Ward, Hiroshima City, Hiroshima Prefecture

Head Coach: Hikaru Suzuki

Setter:

• Chiharu Miyazawa * ( Breath Hamamatsu )
• Rino Sakaguchi * ( Senri Kinran University )
• Miho Mitsunaga

Libero:

• Mao Tsuchioka

Middle Blocker:

• Minari Kitagawa
• Chiaki Kawase * ( Aichi Gakuin University )
• Tomomi Nishida

Outside Hitter: Masaki Ohnishi

• Mai Kakizaki * ( Hiroshima International )
• Megumi Sato
• Manami Komada * ( Hiroshima University )
• Yuuka Saito
• Ayaka Hamada * ( SEIEI HS )

Opposite:

• Yuriko Yamauchi (C)
  

JA Gifu Rioreina - JAぎふ リオレーナ
Gifu City, Gifu Prefecture

Head Coach: Sanae Tsubakimoto

Setter:

• Airi Karakawa
• Akina Iwanaga (C)
• Makiko Homma

Libero:

• Rina Okada
• Rio Mekada

Middle Blocker:

• Misaki Inoue
• Miyu Nomura * ( Kyushu Bunka Gakuen HS )
• Shiori Hamada

Outside Hitter:

• Yuka Yaginuma
• Yuri Takahashi * ( OUHS )

Opposite:

• Haruka Miyai
• Nozomi Saitoh
• Yuka Yamamoto
• Yukiko Umeda * ( Nagoya Gakuin University )

Prestige International Aranmare - プレステージ インターナショ ナルアランマーレ
Sakata City, Yamagata Prefecture
Tendo City, Yamagata Prefecture
Tsuruoka City, Yamagata Prefecture

Head Coach: Tsutomu Kitahara

Setter:

• Hikaru Nagino
• Megumi Tamura

Libero:

• Sumiko Mori (C)
  
• Ayaka Hosoda * ( Sendai University )

Middle Blocker:

• Maya Ito
• Natsuki Miyamoto
• Rina Sugawara
• Shiiko Yanagisawa
• Kaho Obana * ( JA Gifu )

Outside Hitter:

• Kaho Kusajima * ( Toyama University )
• Kaho Kitamura
• Riho Enomoto * ( Shoin University )
• Yuri Kimura

Opposite:

• Haruki Koizumi * ( JWCPE )

Gunma Bank Green Wings will start the 2020-21 season with a new head coach: Hiro Takahashi. He was an assistant coach with NEC Red Rockets for the past eight years, and served as assistant to Coach Lovebunny in 2019's two gold medal tournaments--U20 World Champions and NT B-Team Asian Champions.

Gunma Bank's outgoing head coach, Akihisa Ishihara, was the real deal, heading the team's transition from 9-Ball to 6-Ball in 2015, and finally to V2 Champions last season. He was JT Marvelous head coach from 2009-2013 and Takefuji Bamboo head coach from 2001-2009.

Three Gumma Bank players jumped ship this summer to join GSS Tokyo Sunbeams, and the lovely Chika Saito retired along with their Captain Minami Yoshioka. Maybe something going on there.

Best of luck to everyone in their new endeavors.

Further Legendary Forest Leaves Kumamoto news:

In addition to the &^%$@# head coach moving up in ranks to a job where he can sit down, and 15 year Forest Leaves veteren player Momoko Wada taking over as "Supervise", the Legendary Ranna Shiraiwa (OH) has joined the club from Kurobe. With these moves in place, I plan to enjoy the team this fall

There are still a couple Transfer Hopers out there who could be game changers for a V2 team and even a decent backup if they graduated to V1:

Haruka Yoshizato OH Best Scorer 2019-20	Yuki Egawa OP Best Scorer 2018-19

Yuki Egawa is a southpaw beast with a good serve. She's been with Prestige since 2016. She had some downtime with Prestige last season that prevented Prestige from likely finishing in 2nd place. She'd be a good pickup for Gunma Bank in their rebuilding year, or Forest Leaves.

Haruka Yoshizato has 'tude to spare. A few years with Hiroshima and one with GSS Sunbeams. If Forest Leaves could swing both of these players they would be contenders.

Quote from Phoenix

Toyota Walkure has been rebranded as Toyota SunPiena

Well that doesn't really roll off the tongue well, but at least Walkure is gone. WTF was that? Were they aiming for "Valkyrie" and just missed it, or was Walkure some unique thing on its own. Many a night's sleep were missed over this. I'm glad it's gone, but "Toyota Valkyries" would be a cool name: "Choosers of the Slain"

This is just goofy nonsense, but it comes as no surprise to me that Brilliant Aries best player is also their best dancer. Not Martha Graham free expression, but the ability to follow and accurately execute the choreography without stopping to giggle or get caught thinking about what comes next. Getting caught thinking about what dance move comes next is equivalent to getting caught thinking about diving for a ball. The choreography of volleyball dictates that if a ball is out of reach you dive for it. No thinking allowed.

Have a giggle:

https://twitter.com/i/status/1271389409925976064

Quote from sloth

I only follow this thread because of this type of random "goofy nonsense" tbh

Maybe I'll change the V2 motto from "We Drop the Ball" to "Goofy Nonsense"

Ranna Shiraiwa representing for Forest Leaves