Japan - V.League V1 (Division 1, Women) 2022-2023

  • I'm glad to see people recognising Wada! I feel that she has a lot of potential to be a strong player for JT, and if she continues improving steadily, she might just be NT material. During last week's matches against Denso when Lowe seemed to be off-mark at times, she was subbed in and contributed points to the set.


    Also, not to pit teammates against each other, but I'm a little confused on why there is so much hype around Nishikawa Yuki. Sure, she's a promising player too, but is there something about her that really makes her stand out? Anyone has any idea why?

    Kobata was the only member of JT that has achieved something think about that and tell me where JT stands


    Megumi Kurihara doesn't count because she considers herself a Hitachi OG

  • Kobata was the only member of JT that has achieved something think about that and tell me where JT stands


    Megumi Kurihara doesn't count because she considers herself a Hitachi OG

    Don't forget Takeshita (and to an extent KYK)

  • Airi Miyabe hits the ball a lot harder as MB than as OH, fwiw

  • Is it anything like Shion?

    Different style of attack but I'd say it's with about the same amount of force


    It's interesting to me because of thing about Japanese pins hitting "politely" so as not to make errors. It seems like if she just has to jump up and whack it she doesn't feel constrained to hold back on the swing

  • In the few games she played, I feel like she is really committed in improving as an MB, and I enjoy watching it. :lol:

    yeah, and I think it allows for making good use of one her strengths, i.e., being scrappy with loose balls in front of the three point line. She's very alert and quick

  • Some observations from re-visits and catch-ups:


    • Celeste Plak is not having as much fun, which means I'm not having as much fun. I think Himeji is going to be okay, tho. They have a solid lineup except for the setter. Tanaka and Sasaki are playing as well as other players in the league who other people like because they play well
    • Lise Van Hecke is the catch of the year. She's super fluid, focused, and hits with an angle of someone a lot taller than she is
    • Kurobe middle blockers are bringing it, and Pimpichaya is really bringing it. So humble and lovely. Libero is a pleasant surprise
    • Barely recognize the NoSmilers, but Saiki is a force, and fun to marvel at. So raw. And Okayama still pull of defensive shit no one else does
    • This is the year of Hitachi. Osanai is, like, carbonated now or something, and Tapp is actually calling attention to herself ... as a big person. I give most of the credit to the young setter, Keito Saiga. She's deceptive and aggressive and emerging as a leader
    • Neriman is wrong for Denso. I'm falling for Nanami Asano
    • I wish I liked JT and Toray because they play really good volleyball for the most part. If they both ditched their BCS I would like them
    • Enjoying Saitama as they are. You know what I'm talkin' about. Big Meguru Clan Fan. Sister #3 makes V.League this winter. If Lozo fits the vibe look out. Saitama are going to be hard to beat. Could be the year of Saitama
    • PFU is not PFU without Watabiki. The locals are not playing well. I don't think they make top 8 ... but who knows at this point, Not fair for me to write them off yet, but the buzz is not there right now
    • Toyota's setter is no longer a problem. She's got a nice style and Toyota proved they can win with her last year. Cuttino is not Krob, but who is? Mostly all she needs to fix is: don't give away points. She has the most unpredictable movements of any volleyball player I've ever seen. I think she might be on the spectrum
    • NEC
    • Cuttino is not Krob, but who is? Mostly all she needs to fix is: don't give away points. She has the most unpredictable movements of any volleyball player I've ever seen. I think she might be on the spectrum

    this is the funniest fucking thing i've ever read on this god forsaken site, thank you

  • But then again so did Denso? didn't they have the most players in the NT so by logic shouldn't they be the local NT? JT tanked last season's championships and missed 3 Asian tournaments due to covid.


    JT minus KLOWE can that be a thing now that KRob is using Cook... anyway I'm not feeling Karsta's performance so far she still has a lot of adjustments to make but I knew right away when I watched their match in Korea that she has a long way to go. I wonder if it would have been different with Shibata around.


    Outside the holy trinity which was untouchable Inoue, Imamura, Toe, Iwasaka, Zayasu, Kotoh, Kano, literally half of Hisamitsu's players have made it to the NT post-London which no other club to this day has done. JT is not the current training ground, it's still Hisamitsu and Toray. Remember the Fukazawa twins who made a big splash at Haruko they're in Toray and Hisamitsu. Toray and Saga gets the first cut of the best highschool players and some of the U-team stand outs in college.

    I'm not sure who is the local NT or NT training ground, and I don't confess to have an opinion about it either. My post was actually not to point out who it was, just to let the OP I quoted know a little more since he asked a question.


    It's good rep for any club if many of their players are selected, and it really shows Toray and Hisamitsu's potency if they always get first dibs on the best players. But as team games always show, it's not WHO populates your team, it's HOW they play together as a team.


    And I'm not sure if you didn't see it, but I wrote "JT is ONE OF THE TEAMS". I never asserted that they were the "it club" or anything, I was merely stating what I understood for the OP.

  • Kobata was the only member of JT that has achieved something think about that and tell me where JT stands


    Megumi Kurihara doesn't count because she considers herself a Hitachi OG

    I'm not sure what's the connection between me complimenting Wada and asking about Nishikawa's potential is to JT's position in the league? I didn't comment on JT being the "It Team" or anything.

  • this is the funniest fucking thing i've ever read on this god forsaken site, thank you

    It pleases me to please you :drink:

  • What's with the trend of so many players playing without knee pads these days? And it's popular with liberos :huh:


    There was a lot in the recent Uni Tournaments, but it's also creeping into V.League. Kurobe has two players who play with one bare leg and two players with two bare legs

  • Also, so many players without elbow pads: Okawa, Kurogo, Momoko Niida, Miiku Iwasawa, Takaso, Nakajima, Airi Miyabe


    looks odd to me to see so many Japanese not in "full armor" :box:

    I hadn't noticed the lack of elbow pads. Gonna have me a look see

  • The Uni girls are coming ! The Uni girls are coming !


    They haven't breached V1 yet but V2 just signed a half dozen or so


    One of my fave MBs just signed with JA Gifu. Disappointing only because I can't see V2 matches :wall:


    The All Japan Uni games start in 3 weeks and then the flood gates will open. I think overall last year's crop of seniors was a little better than this year's. A lot of the eye-catching players this year are 2nd and 3rd year

  • Raw translation from Instagram story

    The source that Toray linked to https://pre-miya.com/miyaspo/ippan/142716.html


    "The V-League women's volleyball match between Hisamitsu and Toray will be held at the Miyazaki City Gymnasium on March 26 and 27.  Hisamitsu has former national team member Mochiyu Nagaoka and Sakiai Nakajima from Miyazaki Nihon University High School, while Toray has this fall's World Championship representative, Shinsuke Ishikawa, and others."


    ....


    Shady that they put Seki as others. Who is this Sakiai Nakajima?

  • Who is this Sakiai Nakajima?

    pictographs when used for names, are all over the place at times and this is one of them.


    It is #21 Sae Nakajima.


    saki and Ai would also be correct readings of the pictographs when used, hence the Google translate saw those. I would not have known the reading except by going to the Springs website.