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

With no V.League match tonight I can devote myself exclusively to Uni Girl shenanigans. Match of the night is Aoyama v JWCPE. Aoyama is a long standing top team that's been in the doldrums the past couple years. I like who they have assembled this year. They look good to me, except maybe the freshman setter from Higashi. Tokai beat the crap out of them last weekend, but whatever. Player to watch: sophomore southpaw receiving OP Misuzu Takahashi

JWCPE leads with middle blockers. Cool stuff. Last match the MBs were 36/72 @50% while the two outside hitters went 22/72 @30%

One of those OHs is a favorite of mine. According to stats usage rules I won't mention her name. One of the MBs is also a fave: Aoi Shiozaki. Expect her and her partner in crime to enter V.League this winter

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Annie is already back in the USA. That was fast

does that mean she won’t be playing the Asian Clubs

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I would imagine so. she's not going to come all of the way here, just to go back to japan/Kazakhstan in like a week

China and Korea aren't sending teams. I didn't know that. Depending on who Thailand assembles for their team it's probably JT's time to win something this year even without her

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it looks like its going to be Diamond Food VC representing Thailand. I wonder if Tomkom will play in that.

Thailand often "loans" some of their National Team players to the team competing. I'm cool with that but it makes it hard to predict who will actually be playing at this point

2021-22 V.LEAGUE DIVISION1 WOMEN Final result

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2021-22 V.LEAGUE DIVISION1 WOMEN Player Awards

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Foluke robbed of MVP

No kidding

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oh i was just memeing lol

This was the year of Arisa Inoue. I'm not feeling it, although I called it at the beginning of the year They invented the first ever MVP of the Empress' Cup to give to her

Foluke was so dominant this year it wasn't funny

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how did kelsey not make the best six.

smh frauds

sitenoise what was foluke's special recognition? or do you have a link?

I think they only pick the best 6 from Finalists

No idea what the Foluke thing is

Some of these Uni girls are diving like scaredy cat little girls It's infuriating

JWCPE doesn't have the juice for Aoyama. Their MBs are not killing it (trying to reverse jinx*)

TWCPE is having trouble with Kaetsu

Kaetsu goes back and forth from being a top team, lots of great alum from there

TWCPE has one of those horse riding bulldog OHs from Seitoku -- Yui Hamamura -- and the best player I've seen in the tournament so far: MB Yuna Adachi. I expected more

*JWCPE just ran a string of points ... up 20–15 in Set 3 (down 0–2). This jinx stuff really works

I called the jinx too early, but it was in the cards anyway . Aoyama 3–0 JWCPE

There's spectators at the Kanto matches this weekend at Odawara Arena, Kanagawa

Money Quote from Kurobe Coach in the vbm presser after the Kurobe/Brilliant Aries Challenge Match:

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As you can see from the comparison with Route-Inn's volleyball, volleyball starts from defense

[Edit] -- A little more from that presser: The Allies coach talked about "rental transfers" ("like they do in the Panasonic boys" -- I don't know anything about that) where V1 players who are good, but on the bench in V1, could 'rental transfer' to a V2 team to get playing time and up the stakes. Not sure who might want to do that but it might be interesting

Both coaches kind of touched on the reason V2 has been improving recently is because of defense

Sweaty Beast Yuka Tomizawa said after the match "I can't walk anymore!"

Double