Japan Women's NT 2021

    Quote from wargirls

    That WYY VNL brain fart moment was cringier than this one IMO

    Yes it was, but wasn’t she actually distracted by something? Like a ref whistle or the drone camera?

    i don't mind kano, her youtube is entertaining. but do japanese people not question her presence i mean she takes part in every major event in volleyball whether it's hosting, interviewing or just talking about the players. kano does it all. she's more active than any known name in volleyball


    and wtf is happening in that second video im so lost

    I guess Maiko is charming. That's cool by me. Doesn't surprise me Araki isn't onboard. She wants game.


    I just read Maiko's Japanese Wiki page. It's kind of funny. She played a few years "abroad", but it seems like her career was plagued by injuries.


    "He was one big head since he was in kindergarten" ... love google translate :rolll:


    It also points out that as a member of the 2012 Olympic squad: "Maiko Kano's total score in the tournament was 3 points and the spike effect rate was -27%" :box:

    Quote from skorost

    How'd she just slipped through to OG


    Were there no other setters back then or what

    :)


    We've come full circle. I don't get Maiko Kano :rolll:

    pretty privilege at its peak. she got way too lucky. must be nice for her name to be part of a legendary team without doing much meanwhile most people today don't even know who ai otomo is.


    Quote from voly

    pretty privilege at its peak. she got way too lucky. must be nice for her name to be part of a legendary team without doing much meanwhile most people today don't even know who ai otomo is.

    It's a good thing volleyball is still a niche sport and not a national sport in Japan. That wouldn't fly at all if it was football even if she is a girl. Jordyn Huitema had to learn this the hard way

    Quote from skorost

    It's a good thing volleyball is still a niche sport and not a national sport in Japan. That wouldn't fly at all if it was football even if she is a girl. Jordyn Huitema had to learn this the hard way

    i highly doubt any player would be able to get away with it now regardless of how goodlooking they are.


    yanagida is considered an ikemen (handsome) in japan and he used to be a core player in the NT but he still got booted out.

    I just posted something in the Turkey thread about the "to bench on a good team or play on a lesser team" question. And it occurred to me that maybe the reason Melissa Valdes signed with PFU is because until she naturalizes she is considered a foreigner, and all the big teams except Denso have the foreigner spot locked up. Denso may have something in the pipeline we don't know about yet.


    Will be interesting to see if Melissa does well this year and naturalizes, if the JVA mafia tries to move her to SAGA


    Full disclosure: I don't know anything about her naturalization status or whether it matters


    I also noted that Melissa is lucky that Yurie Nabeya, one of the smartest and most dedicated players in Japan, also signed with PFU.

    Was Denso the team rumored to have a Dana Rettke type of player? Denso is always late to the party, they announced Plummer a couple of days before V League opening iirc


    I saw people saying Nabeya and Tahara followed a former Denso staff to PFU. Nabeya's sister used to work at Denso but it's not her.


    I don't see SAGA under Sakai as an incubator for potential NT stars anymore. Should Yoshihara officially be the NT head coach that might be JT now. They've extended the budget for the team

    Quote from Phoenix

    Was Denso the team rumored to have a Dana Rettke type of player? Denso is always late to the party, they announced Plummer a couple of days before V League opening iirc


    I saw people saying Nabeya and Tahara followed a former Denso staff to PFU. Nabeya's sister used to work at Denso but it's not her.


    I don't see SAGA under Sakai as an incubator for potential NT stars anymore. Should Yoshihara officially be the NT head coach that might be JT now. They've extended the budget for the team

    I've never heard any Denso rumors, maybe avid did


    I think you're right about SAGA/JT

    Quote from staccato lightning

    Kano's career


    Mizuho Ishida is also in this video. She was Shin's cousin. Many people don't remember Ishida sadly but she was a hyped player during her time unfortunately when Nagaoka came to Hisamitsu, Ishida fizzled. After she retired, she briefly became a coach at NSSU. Her daughter also plays volleyball at one of the junior camps in Kansai.


    Nagaoka was an immature clown when she arrived at Hisamitsu the youngest and strongest ace under Aihara, the older gen didn't want to be there anymore because her, Ishii and Shinnabe were quickly dominating every game. Shinnabe was a quiet player, Ishii and Nagaoka were flashy in a way. Iwasaka not so much, she was not a prominent figure unlike say Shimamura in NEC ironically I think she was the first to become an NT member among the 4.


    Nothing to say about Kano. She seems like a social climber but is personable and her face really is made for TV.

    Quote from voly

    pretty privilege at its peak. she got way too lucky. must be nice for her name to be part of a legendary team without doing much meanwhile most people today don't even know who ai otomo is.

    Such a shame, because Ai Otomo and Erika Araki were the last true dominant MBs that played for Japan NT, which forced Manabe to go by the short-lived Hybrid 6. Happy to see future MB prospects coming up, the younger MBs in the NT establishing themselves as legit players in their position.