Japan Women's NT 2023

2023 Japan Women's National Team

Hinotori Nippon
火の鳥NIPPON

2023 Wide Roster

* = A return from previous service

** = New Blood

2023 National Team Schedule

• VNL :: May 30–July something
• 22nd Asian Women's Championship :: September 2–10
  
• FIVB Paris Olympic Qualifiers/World Cup :: September 16–24
• 19th Asian Games (2022/Hangzhou) :: September 28–October 7
  

Other things happening:

• 41st Cornacchia World Cup (Youth/Domovip U16 version) :: April 7–10
• 1st Asian U16 Championship (if it happens) :: July 1–8
• FISU World University Games :: July 29–August 7
• 18th FIVB U19 World Championship :: August 1–11
• 22nd FIVB U21 World Championship :: August 17–26

No new setters on the horizon besides Tsukasa Nakagawa. The main three are still Momii, Seki, and Matsui. Nakagawa is wonderful but she's the same height as Yoshi Takeshita and we know how that worked out

Fukudome and Kojima are likely and welcome to return at libero. Toe, Iwasawa, and Fukumoto should replace the others. I hope Toe wants to play [edit] oops, I forgot Minami Nishimura. She's certainly worthy

Middle Blockers won't change much. Ayaka Araki is a sure possibility if she proves she can stay healthy. Maki Yamaguchi gets a call. I'm not wrong about that. Maybe Sayaka Yokota . Chihiro Sasaki is a good player but has creepy Himeji vibes. Hiroyo Yamanaka is/was also good but she hasn't played this year so who knows. I would love to see what Xintian Fu would rise to with real training but I dunno if she qualifies

I gotta think more about wings

There is another setter who I think deserves at least a little name recognition if not a spot on the wide roster: Hitachi's Keito Saiga

She's smart, she doesn't rattle, her sets are mostly money, she's lefty and aggressive, a good defensive player and gives off good leader vibes. She's young (just turned 21) and short (167cm). Her initial cockiness when she came into the league turned out to be confidence in disguise

She's a better setter than Yamazaki, but Yamazaki is a blocking machine. I'd put Keito on par with Mizuki Ugajin at this point. She's improved her game a lot over the past couple seasons and improvement is a kick ass quality

Quote from Raf

What happened to Yamanaka? why isn't she playing? from Best MB to benchwarmer?

She started one game earlier in the season but has been pretty much MIA since. I thought she must be nursing injury but she's dressed for all the matches

Tough spot for her. Kyoko Aoyagi and Jaja are quite the duo. I've always wondered why Kyoko never got an invite in all her million years of playing

Quote from volleyb

Yamaguchi might be too small as MB for Hinotori though, so maybe Team B.

I want to see Miwako Osanai to get a chance in the VNL / Extended Team A roster, and maybe Yuki Nishikawa although she's not getting much playing time in the VLeague to fully assess her. For Team B, I want to see Minami Nakamoto and Amika Saiki (if she's not playing U21 Worlds).

Yamaguchi isn't fast either, to be the small fast MB. Good point. She's very methodical in her work, not explosive

"Saki" must have slipped your mind She's also methodical, been building her game steadily for years. I'd pick her over Fukazawa this cycle. Fukazawa probably has more future

I'd like to see Airi at OP. I like the way she hits from the right

Wings?

Osanai is playing with such a renewed joie de vivre I put her on par with Inoue (even tho we don't know anything about how Inoue's doing or whether the "abroad" thing will be a blessing or curse) and the Miyabe sisters who Manabe seems to be banking on. (Ameze isn't in line for Paris tho) Osanai may end up leading the B Team -- which isn't so bad, really

The "B Team" are hanger-oners. Uchiseto more likely to move up than the others because Koga and Manabe like her. She doesn't fill any need, and is not going to have a breakout year, so she's a head-scratcher, but it is what it is. She could also finally just not be invited. She did that before. Yuka Sato also likely to drop off

The Un Team

• Miyu Nakagawa. I don't even know how to talk about her any more. She's tall and possesses some skills but she never adds anything to anything. Move on
• "Saki" makes Mikoto Shima obsolete, sadly
• Minami Nakamoto is better than anyone is aware of. That's a problem

• Okumu Oba is too unreliable and inconsistent, and not good enough to be just a monster scoring OP. Move on

• Kaneda has lost her way

Yoshino Sato. I had to check and then double check. I even triple checked again as I'm writing this now. Yep. She dressed for the World Championship. The thing is: she's as complete and as skilled as anyone not in the "Locked" column. BUT. We all witnessed the BUT. I think it's as likely that Manabe pretends the BUT didn't happen as he is to un-invite her. She might even say "Thanks BUT no thanks. I'm not ready". It's an unimportant drama

I love B Teams. I think this A/B Team thing is the way it should be. The training and competitions are fun/improve the girls

"Saki" - SAGA cultists can probably answer this: What other rookie has ever grabbed a spot in Hisamitsu's starting lineup ... and kept it? A Team

Yukiko Wada - Like Mami Yokota and Makoto Shima she had a lot of Off-Ramp U-Squad leadership in her youngster years. She's still only 20 and brings fire. B Team. Do it

Yoshino Nishikawa - I won't be surprised if her future exceeds her sister's. Let's get started

Amika Saiki - Kawamoto is trying to make her better and stronger by fucking with her head. Might work. B Team

Megumi Fukazawa - She's not a good sub, is she? She's not going anywhere tho. Has what it takes, but I don't think she shines until she can bench Mayu. Won't happen soon. B Team

Tsugumi Fukazawa - I admire the strength it must take to endure your twin sister getting all the hype. B Team

Melissa Valdes - Assuming she's qualified ... I don't think she plays Manabe volleyball and don't think he'll invite her to the A Team this cycle. It would be too much of a new direction for the team. Not gonna happen. B Team would be fun, tho

I'll leave it at that, more or less 6 for 6. Probably won't be much, if any, "bring on some youngsters to train for the future". I think it'll be A/B teams of known quality for the win. Full stop

Who did I forget and who did I unfairly disrespect?

noro, niida, kawazoe, Hsasaki, sumida, Mtakahashi

Quote from volleyb

Yoshino Sato can play the World University Games, if it would finally happen this year

Do you expect the FISU roster to be filled from the wide NT group or could they, will they, fill or add to it, with others ... like Uni Girls who won't make the wide NT but are good ... like ...

Miyu Kawazoe (Fukuoka) OH

Haruko Sasaki (Tokai) OH

Hoshino Sumida (Aoyama->Kurobe) OH

Misuzu Takahashi (Aoyama) Lefty Bomber OP

Now that I think of it, the last time they did the FISU thing it was Shima , Mami Yokota, Oikawa, Matsui, Arisa Inoue, Furuya, Yuka Ikeya ... who weren't NT, so ... I guess I should remove it from the NT schedule above

Quote from volleyb

A different group, not necessary from wide roster. Last year, they had a FISU training camp before the wide roster was released. Maybe Ameze, Yoshino performed well in the FISU Training Camp so they were included in the wide roster then NT team A? But I believe it would be a different group, which also makes it exciting.

Oh yeah. I just took a look at that 2022 Universiade roster and it reminds me that the players have to have attended Uni, so players like Saiki and the Fukazawas, even Anna Uemura wouldn't be eligible. I'll take it off the NT schedule in the top post

We're going to have a bunch of cool rosters this year:

NT Team A

NT Team B

Universiade

U21 World

U19 World

U17/16? for the Cornacchia World Cup Youth Version and the U16 Asian Champ thing if it happens

Another thing I remember is that players can be one year out of college and still qualify ... I think they still have to be U23, tho.