Japan Women's NT 2023

    Imoco came to Nagaoka easily it was too good to be true and she probably would've done well if not for her poor knees. I would like Mayu to have that same opportunity. Firenze is a good deal for her first season but as an Ishikawa who is also evolving at a fast rate she can definitely work her way up.

    Quote from Karl

    It would be great to see her continue playing in Italy so that the women's team can also have a representative playing in a big league. Even better if she's able to make her way to any of the top a1 teams. That would change her world entirely.

    There will be demand if her role in the NT also changes. Height-wise she will always be at a disadvantage when playing in Italy or Turkey

    It was nice to see Mayu adapt well. She just arrived in Italy 7 days before their first competition and did ok in their first game. I was surprised how well she did considering her late addition. It would be harder for her in the next games for sure, given that they will have more data about her and Firenze, but atleast so far in her games, she is doing great for her first season outside Japan.


    Not a fan of her in Toray (or idk I'm just not a fan of Toray I guess :lol:), but I'm enjoying watching her at Firenze now.


    Top Attackers (Kill%) as of Nov 21 (total attempts > 180)


    Akimova (OPP) - 50.65%

    Haak (OPP) - 50.00%

    Egonu (OPP) - 48.85%

    Zhu Ting (OH) - 44.56%

    Ishikawa (OH) - 43.60%

    Antropova (OPP) - 42.32%


    I hope she learns a lot in her time there and as she said in the interview, I hope it improves her mental strength also.

    Mayu was extra pissy in Toray especially once things got very real for her in the NT. The only one that hasn't changed is Seki and yet ironically she's the one left behind. I think if anything her experience in Italy will change her perspective since she's always had that mental strength from the very beginning.


    If she intends to stay in Italy she will without a doubt have even bigger competition after Paris and if we're being realistic she wouldn't top the list as she is not your standard giant or even Gabi's height allrounder for an OH. Still I think they can find a way to include her somewhere.

    Quote from skorost

    Seki is just whatever. If there was ever a more boring stagnant setter in Japanese history it would be her.

    maybe manabe wanted an older more mature setter this time after miyashita basically spiraled downhill post-rio. saori and araki had to comfort her every time they lost a game and that kind of immaturity is a liability and adds more burden to the team. hence mayu emphasizing mental strength.

    Quote from gkv

    maybe manabe wanted an older more mature setter this time after miyashita basically spiraled downhill post-rio. saori and araki had to comfort her every time they lost a game and that kind of immaturity is a liability and adds more burden to the team. hence mayu emphasizing mental strength.

    Seki is older for sure but I wouldn't call someone who buckles under pressure mature. Matsui despite being a disappointment held it together better than Seki in most matches. Also despite how much of a crybaby Miyashita was, she had great defense and chemistry with the key players which is not something you could say about Seki.

    Quote from skorost

    Seki is older for sure but I wouldn't call someone who buckles under pressure mature. Matsui despite being a disappointment held it together better than Seki in most matches. Also despite how much of a crybaby Miyashita was, she had great defense and chemistry with the key players which is not something you could say about Seki.

    but we cant say that koga and mayu have any chemistry at all what more with seki.


    crybaby is seriously sugarcoating it. miyashita was closer to being an emotional wreck during her peak in the nt that it continued to affect her performance as nakada took over.

    Quote from skorost

    Seki is just whatever. If there was ever a more boring stagnant setter in Japanese history it would be her.

    Seki: minding her own business

    Skorost: lemme start shitting on Seki again for no reason.


    Give her a break or blame the coach.


    There is nothing boring about her setting style. If anything it was too fast/ambitious for her hitters to catch up with. Her backrow sets with Koga are magic though when they're on it. There is chemistry.

    Quote from Hassan Kadem

    Rui Nonaka (Hitachi) confirms that she is registered in this year's NT wide roster. Someone probably got injured and she replaced whoever it was.


    Shall we stan

    You're late to the party :lol: Stan mode engaged. I like players who at first blush seem like they are there for their looks and then they turn out to be packin'


    [-] Ranna Shiraiwa, one of the best examples

    Quote from skorost

    Mayu was extra pissy in Toray especially once things got very real for her in the NT. The only one that hasn't changed is Seki and yet ironically she's the one left behind. I think if anything her experience in Italy will change her perspective since she's always had that mental strength from the very beginning.


    If she intends to stay in Italy she will without a doubt have even bigger competition after Paris and if we're being realistic she wouldn't top the list as she is not your standard giant or even Gabi's height allrounder for an OH. Still I think they can find a way to include her somewhere.

    man?


    Superman ! Noooooo

    Spiderman ! Noooooo

    Serdarman ! Yyyyyyeeeeessssaaaaahhhhh

    In case you guys missed it, the big topic among nec/koga fans is koga's possible premature retirement due to joc's restrictions on married athlete couples. For those following Volleystation Japan analyst Miki Kakihana he was the source of this topic. If you guys follow core VL fans on twitter you know that they mainly do twitter's spaces chatrooms whenever there's a live game going on, where their followers can also participate.


    Anyway I did some digging and didn't come across anything specific other than it's pretty much the same case for all married athlete couples in volleyball and other sports from way back to present . Only 1 of them remained active while the other retires.


    Recent ones

    Olympic rock climbers Akiyo Noguchi and Tomoa Narasaki who got married in 2021. Noguchi won medals in Tokyo Olympics and eventually retired. Her husband Narasaki is still active and will be participating in Paris 2024.


    Olympic badminton player Ayaka Takahashi who retired after Tokyo Olympics while her husband badminton player Yuki Kaneko who also represents Japan in Asian tournaments is still active until now. The pair married in 2020.


    I couldn't find any other married athlete couples who represent their country except Nishida and Sarina who remain both in active status (for now)

    As per contract, Koga won't be allowed to retire until after Paris. She's already locked in. Also, It would reflect poorly on her if she abandoned the team at such a crucial period regardless of her efficiency. Her presence as a temporary figurehead is hope for fans. After that if by Japanese law she needs to retire then honestly she should be swift about it so that nothing else gets delayed.