Japan Women's NT 2022

    Quote from sitenoise

    Do you think Ai Kurogo's has a chance of returning this cycle? She's not playing with Toray at all except serve subbing and she looked a little flabby and tired at the all star game


    Too bad Anna Uemura is only 168cm. She's really lighting up the under world, and only second year HS

    I don't think Kurogo will be part of it. She would if she is already playing as a starter, or atleast played minutes in the All Star Game. She doesn't seem ready based on the games I've seen. Maybe next year, but not now? :lol:


    Anna Uemura is my favorite and the reason I will be watching the All Japan HS games! :box:


    Quote from SR71

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    • Valdes
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    • Hirayama Springs
    • Yoshino Nishikawa
    • Twin at Hisamitsu

    I agree with this. I will also put in Ruriko Uesaka. I think she is having a good season and can be considered for B Team. The two U20 players - Megumi Fukazawa and Amika Saiki are both still eligible for the U21 World Championship this year, but hoping to see them at Seniors pool also.

    Quote from sitenoise

    Do you think Ai Kurogo's has a chance of returning this cycle? She's not playing with Toray at all except serve subbing and she looked a little flabby and tired at the all star game


    Too bad Anna Uemura is only 168cm. She's really lighting up the under world, and only second year HS

    What's wrong with her? did she get injured? The only thing different about her now is that she's no longer pouting.

    Quote from Playmaker

    What's wrong with her? did she get injured? The only thing different about her now is that she's no longer pouting.

    I guess she's not fully recovered from whatever Tokyo OG did to her? I really don't know what's going on

    I shuffled through my favorite Uni girls looking for a possible pick but they are all too short :( Seems there are a lot more 180+ high school players this year. I'm intrigued by the new OP SAGA just signed

    Quote from Playmaker

    The realization that Koga hasn't won any prestigious awards yet is pretty disappointing. Was she not around when Montreux was still a thing?

    She participated once but Yuki Ishii was the one with an award. Japan did not (or rarely lol) reach the podium in the World tournaments with her so she is not getting the awards. For other tournaments like Asian competitions, they almost always bring a B Team anyway. Even in the last Asian Championship (2019, they cancelled 2021), they sent the U20 roster and Mayu Ishikawa got MVP.

    Quote from sitenoise

    I shuffled through my favorite Uni girls looking for a possible pick but they are all too short :( Seems there are a lot more 180+ high school players this year. I'm intrigued by the new OP SAGA just signed

    Are you referring to Ayane Kitamodo or a different one? I don't remember much who SAGA recruited. If it's Ayane though, I don't remember her getting minutes in the Asian U20 Championship, probably just a serving sub.

    Quote from volleyb

    Are you referring to Ayane Kitamodo or a different one? I don't remember much who SAGA recruited. If it's Ayane though, I don't remember her getting minutes in the Asian U20 Championship, probably just a serving sub.

    Yes Ayane . She played about the middle third of set 3 in the Final. She needs to swing harder, tho. I don't think she's much of a server

    Quote from gkv

    Why do you use OG? what's that mean?

    It's a Japanese term that literally means 'Old Girl' and for men it's OB which obviously means 'Old Boy' I'm not even kidding I thought it was ridiculous too when I found out from a friend who studied in Japan. You may have come across this when clubs tweet about former members

    Quote from Hassan Kadem

    ive honestly never heard of her until now. im kinda curious

    Where do I even begin


    Omura was tall but agile and fast. The only MB that played like a real OPP. I'm not sure exactly what happened to her during the year she retired but after that it would take years again for her to appear in anything. She hasn't been involved in anything volleyball-related *that I know of* but Sano posted on IG last year that she's holding a training camp with Omura and Nagaoka in Fukuoka.


    Here's Sakoda interviewing her in 2021

    Quote from Playmaker

    What's wrong with her? did she get injured? The only thing different about her now is that she's no longer pouting.

    I really like Kurogo; she stood out to me during the VNL 2021 coz she doesn't look "stoic" like some Japanese players I like (Mayu for instance lol). I like seeing players show their frustration :lol:


    Sad it seems the Tokyo OG got to her mentally. It really takes a lot of balls to be a player, not just physically but mentally so if she chooses not to play for the NT, it would be the best rather than force her to do it. Or maybe she just needs time to sort herself up.

    Kurogo was supposed to be the next next player after Saori Kimura. The first one was Koga, but she had a horrible 2016 after her breakout 2015. Koga was left off the Rio team.


    Kurogo was the captain of the Shimokitazwa-Seitoku high school team that had Mayu Ishikawa as her teammate. Kurogo was basically MVP of the Haruko championships in 2016 and 2017.


    However, Kurogo never really changed her style of play and even as the captain of Seitoku, she was more a sayer and not a doer. Mayu was the doer and modified her play as she was not the focus of the offense in the team with Kurogo.


    in their club, Toray, Kurogo’s flaws could be covered up by Jana Kulan and Mayu. However with the national team, Kurogo’s flaws could not be covered up, plus throw in the Koga injury and now Kurogo has all the pressure on her as the middles are doing nothing. I love Erika Araki, but 2021 was not kind to her in the Olympics. Let alone Mayu is playing better than Kurogo. Kurogo really felt that The team not even making the quarterfinals was her fault, given how important the sport is for women during the Olympics and with Japan winning the first goals medal in TOkyo.

    Quote from brahmin

    Kurogo was supposed to be the next next player after Saori Kimura. The first one was Koga, but she had a horrible 2016 after her breakout 2015. Koga was left off the Rio team.


    Kurogo was the captain of the Shimokitazwa-Seitoku high school team that had Mayu Ishikawa as her teammate. Kurogo was basically MVP of the Haruko championships in 2016 and 2017.


    However, Kurogo never really changed her style of play and even as the captain of Seitoku, she was more a sayer and not a doer. Mayu was the doer and modified her play as she was not the focus of the offense in the team with Kurogo.


    in their club, Toray, Kurogo’s flaws could be covered up by Jana Kulan and Mayu. However with the national team, Kurogo’s flaws could not be covered up, plus throw in the Koga injury and now Kurogo has all the pressure on her as the middles are doing nothing. I love Erika Araki, but 2021 was not kind to her in the Olympics. Let alone Mayu is playing better than Kurogo. Kurogo really felt that The team not even making the quarterfinals was her fault, given how important the sport is for women during the Olympics and with Japan winning the first goals medal in TOkyo.

    The succession to become the next Saori has been as someone here already put it -erratic. Very erratic. All aces from Ishii to Nagaoka to Koga and especially Kurogo have been inconsistent in the NT. Kurogo was never considered a Saori type since she isn't an all-rounder and even as an attacker she could not carry the team as the main scorer. Their only link would be the Toray pride.


    Koga had her ups and downs. Ishii then stepped up by 2019 under Nakada and suddenly everyone thought for sure she'd be the next Saori however Hisamitsu failed horrendously for 2 or 3? seasons one of which Ishii captained. Koga gained confidence and was in top shape, she was peaking. Kurogo got injured. Mayu debuted and Nagaoka came back. I think Kurogo became insecure at some point due to those 2 players specifically.


    This generation will not have its Saori. Koga is already in her mid-twenties with zero titles and zero medals.

    They should really just drop that "Next Saori" narrative. It's not helping anyone. Also, it's not just about Saori but also the people she was with that time. The team recently was just not in that level, in general. When you look at liberos alone, there's no one clear libero who is really good and will be remembered that much as it changes easily (lol we even changed liberos last year from VNL to WCh). The same with setters where Nakada even used a different main setter each year. There's a bigger problem than just the ace spiker. I hope they have promising players in each position atleast in the next years though.

    Quote from volleyb

    They should really just drop that "Next Saori" narrative. It's not helping anyone. Also, it's not just about Saori but also the people she was with that time. The team recently was just not in that level, in general. When you look at liberos alone, there's no one clear libero who is really good and will be remembered that much as it changes easily (lol we even changed liberos last year from VNL to WCh). The same with setters where Nakada even used a different main setter each year. There's a bigger problem than just the ace spiker. I hope they have promising players in each position atleast in the next years though.

    Exactly. Saori happened to be paired with an amazing setter Takeshita; Sano, probably the best libero they had, and Araki's prime. I wonder how Saori fared without those amazing teammates. Just like when Gamova had Sokolova's help. when Saori went to Vakifbank and Galatasaray, she flopped. So I think Saori shouldn't be the benchmark.

    Quote from Rhaemon

    Exactly. Saori happened to be paired with an amazing setter Takeshita; Sano, probably the best libero they had, and Araki's prime. I wonder how Saori fared without those amazing teammates. Just like when Gamova had Sokolova's help. when Saori went to Vakifbank and Galatasaray, she flopped. So I think Saori shouldn't be the benchmark.

    Saori not being the benchmark is just wrong. For the generation from 1978/1984 to 2010, the well was dry.


    I am not expecting that every player can reach her standards. KYK was a better player than Saori Kimura, and I am a massive Saori fan. However when looking at the Japanese national team, she was the focus of the offense and yes she did need the help of the other players to make it go in the right direction. However, when the chips were all in, she carried that team at times. Not just by scoring, but by serving, passing and digging the ball. Saori was also a late bloomer in the international scene, not really becoming the player we knew until 2010 World GP.


    Takeshita is incredibly important to the success of this team, but even she had huge detractors due to her height and failure to qualify for Sydney. To do what that woman did at her height in a very important position with Japan.


    Sano was just insane with her skills as well, also playing overseas as well.


    Japanese press are all going to be looking at the big stars in high school and going, "that's the next big star." Whether players can reach those expectations is another story.