Japan - V.League V1 (Division 1, Women) 2021-2022

    Quote from wargirls

    Did Melissa’s defense improve or not? 👀

    I think so. She had a few nice reaction moves, which means to me she's at least aware defense exists. She's not receiving at all but that's fine. PFU has good receivers. And Melissa seems like she's listening to her team mates about where to be, in a sense limiting what she needs to cover defensively. She seems quick and coordinated enough. It's just running after balls was not her thing :)


    The interesting thing for me about her role in PFU (and this is also true of a few other teams play in this tournament) is that she is playing strictly OP (and she's got some great angle shots that I love). When she hits from the back it's usually up the middle. In HS she hit from everywhere. I don't think she hit from 4 at all in this tournament. Or 5!, which she did in HS. This is interesting to me for PFU because Mikoto Shima has hit from the right all her life, and pretty well, in U-squads and PFU. Mikoto played OH and hit from 4 in this tournament. Minami Takaso is the other OH and she's just brilliant. They have good liberos so they're doing all right overall defense

    Quote from Phoenix

    sitenoise who's leading Kurobe?

    That's a good question. Nobody really. I don't think Mabashi played at all.


    New setter Anna Kikuchi played a lot, and got everyone to score. (she was looking like a stand out setter a few years ago in Uni for the Tokai Mermaids, and then Tsukasa Nakagawa showed up, and kind of silenced her). I think she's going to bring some goodness to Kurobe.


    The new kids are stepping up. Yuri Umezu on the left and from the back, Ami Yamashiro on the right (along with vet Akane Ukishima) all look like they know what they're doing now. Add Captain Masuda and they no longer look like kids from the cornfields.


    Hosonuma runs around like a bowl of jello and swings like a girl , but she scores a lot. It's weird and endearing. New MB Miku Shimada is short but looks like a leader and has lots of hustle. They have three other MBs #19-21 that I haven't quite distinguished yet :)


    In this tournament, which is why I like it and it's whateverness, the kids get a chance to play for real. It boosts their confidence and ups the team's game.


    Things will be different in real V.League , but add Merete Lutz to this group and Kurobe might win more than just a few games. It's going to come down to who plays. Probably will be Lutz, Mabashi, and Masuda. Too bad for the kids.

    Wait is Lutz already confirmed? This came as a shock awhile back (her height at least, no name anyway) when the articles first started to drop and Japanese fans thought the media got it mixed up for a male transfer at Panasonic.

    Quote from Phoenix

    Wait is Lutz already confirmed? This came as a shock awhile back (her height at least, no name anyway) when the articles first started to drop and Japanese fans thought the media got it mixed up for a male transfer at Panasonic.

    Oh, it's not confirmed for me. I was just going with the flow. Didn't hear about the male mix up. I would love it if Kurobe played foreigner free. They have enough talent, and too much of it is on the right side for Lutz to take over that role.


    I feel hope

    Actually, Kurobe could use a Foluke or Hannah in the middle. That would the biggest help for them. Hosonuma and Shimada are serviceable. The three blurries, I dunno. Maybe Riho Otake? That would be cool, and more realistic than Foluke

    In defense of Saitama's poor showing in this tournament, they were the only V1 team that went pure scrubs, pure farm team. Doesn't look like there's a lot down there right now. And there's no coach


    If I were Mako Shiina I would've transfer hoped this summer. I don't see her getting a moment's playing time if that Brazilian Coach comes back.

    New Team Artemis Hokkaido is adding players. A couple of note, or one of note for those who don't follow V2. Both of these players were born in Hokkaido


    Yuna Okuyama
    NEC Red Rockets
    		Yuri Komuro
    GSS Tokyo Sunbeams

    Sayo Masuda (Kurobe) won the Fighting Spirit Award East Summer League. Congratulations to her. I'm glad Kurobe made her Captain. I'm pretty sure it's for the upcoming season and not just the Summer League. Nobody is ever going to stan her :) but I like her. She's not spectacular but she tries and she wants to be good, and she doesn't care if anyone likes her :rose: She's like the girl who knows no one is going to ask her to the prom and she's going to make all of them regret it


    They didn't give an MVP for the tournament that I can find. I'd give it to Minami Takaso or Haruka Miyashita Yamashita. Takaso is always a pleasure. You can see her brain driving real fast all the time. Her two handed plops on broken plays are brilliant. Yamashita's doing a good job steering the ship. I don't think Airi Tahara is going to waltz right in to the setter's job. It was noticeable/remarkable that Yamashita never punted to "Save us Melissa" ball. I think that frustrated Melissa :lol: who's used to it

    Quote from avid

    Merete used to be a middle :lol:

    I'd like to see that

    Quote from sitenoise

    They didn't give an MVP for the [Summer League East] tournament that I can find.

    They did. Melissa Valdes won it. She double dipped. Congratulations, girl :cup:


    Love this pic of the BlueCats

    especially Minami

    <3


    #gogopfu

    That Player! app/web site has a couple Summer League West matches scheduled for this weekend


    https://web.playerapp.tokyo/live/72138

    https://web.playerapp.tokyo/live/72139


    I think I read this site was in cahoots with promoting University volleyball so likely they will be the University matches: versus Denso and Himeji

    Quote from Phoenix

    Do you know how long Valdes has been living in Japan? If her family has been there since she started HS ,I think she should be able to apply for naturalisation this year.

    I don't know any details about her :white:


    Good question: Is her family in Japan? Hadn't thought about that. I don't think Fu Xintian's family is (think I read her mentioning that).

    Quote from sitenoise

    I don't know any details about her :white:


    Good question: Is her family in Japan? Hadn't thought about that. I don't think Fu Xintian's family is (think I read her mentioning that).


    "The 185-cm-tall OH is aiming to become a Japanese citizen in the future and said, "I thought I would be better at a business club than at a university. I have a dream of playing in the All-Japan team," she said.

    The team plans to support his dream. Prior to the press conference, Mr. Futoshi Teramawari, former coach of the team and now the general manager, visited Kahoku City Hall to report the end of the league.


    "My mother agrees with me. I want to support the team so that I can become a Japanese citizen as soon as possible," she said.


    https://www.chunichi.co.jp/article/233372 this article is free to the public at this hour but they will close it again once 6pm hits in Japan:S

    Hitachi just revamped their home page roster and gave some players new numbers. Hannah remains

    Speaking of Hitachi, Osanai was the one hitting from the right in Summer League. Rui, Rino, and Ruriko (say that real fast ten times) from the left, but Ruriko didn't play much. I wonder how they will juggle those 4 this year. Osanai looks great. I bet she had to have been nursing injury last year. That can be the only explanation for her non-awesomeness/non-participation

    "JT Marvelous declines to participate in the V. Summer League Women's Western Tournament. Because the people concerned are positive for the new coronavirus"

    from vbm


    wow, I had them as the winners