68th All Japan Intercollegiate Women's Championship 2021 (Nov 29–Dec 5)

As expected: Tokai, Tsukuba, and NIFS had quick 3–0 matches. Tsukuba is not playing well tho. They do this conservative, swing like a girl, pretend you're on Japan NT thing sometimes. It's not pretty

Meanwhile Fukuoka and NSSU are still It's 1–1 and NSSU is pulling away in the third

I need to find out who #22 on Fukuoka is . At #22 she's probably a 2nd year player

Even tho my girl Hitomi Shiode is setting for NSSU I want Fukuoka to win this

17–17 in the fourth. NSSU up 2–1

Massive Brain Fart gives NSSU match point

[Edit] No more Fukuoka

Quote from volleyb

I was expecting a tie break!

Me too. Fukuoka was leading most of the way and then just kinda fell apart at the end

Didn't see this TWCPE Senri Kinran Tie-Break coming TWCPE is not playing as aggressively as their first two matches

and totally way did not see Nagasaki International spanking Juntendo 3–0

Fukuoka University starting lineup

① Aika Hayashida 4 MB 178 Seiei

2 Miyu Yamamoto 4 OP 169 Yasugi

4 Reina Nishimura 4 MB 175 Kochi Minami

19 Kawasoe Hanasho 2 S 167 Kyushu Bunka Gakuen

22 Miyu Kawazoe 川添美優 2 OH 170 Soseikan

25 Bridge Flower Sound 2 OH 175 Fortune City East

20 Miharu Hikita 2 L 158 Usuki

Sad they've gone home

Bummer, usually after these matches the camera trains on the losing team being consoled by the coach and you get to see them all cry for like 5-10 minutes. The winning team just leaves

TWCPE saved three match points but the final one eluded them: 13–15. I applaud them for remaining upbeat and positive to the last minute. Not a premature loser face to be found

I wanted to see them cry, though. It's really touching

Round 3 •• 2021.12.02

Gotta give it up for Senri Kinran. They played like their future depended on it. That's the match I watched so I have no idea what happened to Juntendo

Here's the quarterfinal match-ups •• 10:00am start time

A Court

NIFS v Nagasaki International

Aoyama Gakuin v NSSU

C Court

Tsukuba v Shokei Gakuin

Tokai v Senri Kinran

The only match that should be close is Aoyama v NSSU

ps - JVA can't get a Kobe Shinwa Scorebox up

[Edit] pps - they have fixed and posted all three Kobe Shinwa matches

What a drag NIFS and Tsukuba are playing at the same time right now Neither team looks to be playing that well out the gate

Saki Nakajima has tamed her serve approach a bit. Not as cute

I'm falling for Tsukuba's setter Shuri Kurata. She's playing aggressively and she's a gorgeous creature

The Real Yoshino Sato has good jump, good hang time, good form, and swings hard. She needs to up her defensive game, tho. She dives like a girl, or a big person. Not cool

Shuri Kurata alternates between a Mayu Ishikawa brute force serve and a Saitama lollypop ... the way Takaso and Yuka Sato do. Love that

The Real Yoshino Sato is also an ace machine

NIFS better wake up. Nagasaki International ... whoever they are ... is getting a lot of Denso level love and support from their bench. It's working. They look like they think they can win

NIFS 0–2 Nagasaki

Nagasaki has some great energy going on, and it's only going to grow as they start to smell victory. NIFS look like they are sleepwalking

It's official : Saki Nakajima is off the list Shuri Kurata is on. Kurata has at least 7 points this match. Five dumps, a kill, and one or two aces

Tsukuba must encourage aggressive setters. Mandai doesn't fit that mold but Yokota and Kurata sure do

NIFS squeaks out Set 3. Not dead yet.

At this point I'm almost ready to root for Nagasaki to go all the way. Their optimism and power of positive thinking is wonderful. Don't know a single player on their team. That tweetboxer who has listed some rosters hasn't done them ... yet. Hope they will

I don't think they are going linger on showing NIFS crying. They don't seem like criers. This has to be the biggest upset of the tournament tho. Reigning champs out in the quarterfinals, and ousted by a school that has never before even made it to the quarterfinals. Way to go Nagasaki girls

I hope Senri Kinran , with their high school looking baby pants, crushes Tokai ( but I will feel bad for Tsukasa Nakagawa and Sayaka Yokota )

Aoyama v NSSU is a toss up. I want and expect a full set and don't care who wins

Aoyama's setter will high set a ball to both of her middle blockers the way ordinary people set to an OH when the play is a little broken, and they both seem very comfortable with it

Senri Kinran 32–30 Tokai Set 1

Senri Kinran's playing like Nagasaki did. True Cinderella team spirit . Gotta find out who the libero and OP are.

Aoyama's got a nice feisty OP as well, southpaw freshman Misuzu Takahashi

How will Senri Kinran respond to getting spanked 25–14 in set 2?

How will Aoyama respond being down 0–2?

I like Aoyama's game. Their other MB is freshman Karen Edokkuporo (which may or may not be a proper translation of エドックポロ かれん) is a riot. Plays that now you see me now you don't hybrid MB/OP style I enjoy