Japan Women's NT 2025

    Japan NT Team B Roster for Korea Invitational

    August 12-17 in Korea

    Participants: Korea, Japan, Czechia, Sweden, France, Argentina


    OH/OPP: Miwako Osanai, Hawi Okumu Oba, Rui Nonaka, Kokomi Kawamata, Tsugumi Fukazawa, Ai Hirota

    MB: Maki Yamaguchi, Hiroyo Yamanaka, Nanami Asano, Emili Iiyama

    S: Minami Yasuda, Furi Kosa

    L: Haruna Kawabata, Mana Nishizaki

    I'm really enjoying the U21 Squad a lot now that the coach has seen the light

    He started the first match with
    OH/OP - Watanabe and Nishimura

    MB - Yanagi and Kitagawa


    I was going to give up and quit watching the tournament

    Then he switched to
    OH/OP - Uemura and Fukumura

    MB - Ito and Inoue


    All is lovely now (The OGs snuck back in against TUN and did okay)

    Setter - Chisato Hanaoka
    OP - Koyumi Fukumura
    OH - Anna Uemura, Sae Omori
    MB - Miina Inoue, Ichiyo Ito

    L - Ami Uchizawa


    Hanaoka isn't bad and she loves to set the pipe attack a lot, so that's fun, and her distribution is to everyone


    Super Squirt libero is not bad either. Sae Omori is beautiful, but the best part now is the MBs. Miina and Ichiyo are almost identical players. Miina maybe does more slides and standard OP attacks. She was Top Scorer against Thailand

    Fun stuff. Hope they continue to do well as the better teams show up

    Quote from sitenoise

    ... but the best part now is the MBs. Miina and Ichiyo are almost identical players.

    Probably my favorite Japanese MB duo in Junior tournaments so far, even comparing to the recent years. Whenever they score, I sometimes have to think if it's Miina or Ichiyo. They are really like almost identical players :lol: I hope blocking improves, but their attacking is already good.


    Not really a fan of Hanaoka's setting (I want Niina to start lol!) but I appreciate her going to the MBs a lot.

    Quote from mintonette

    Who is Super Squirt libero? Lol. I am not sure what to feel about that nickname 😆

    Ami Uchizawa from TWCPE. More of a description than nickname. I tend to enjoy 152cm liberos

    Quote from mintonette

    I was impressed by Uemura in the battle with Brazil. Strong arms but not sure if she will blossom in Senior NT as she is quite short unfortunately.

    She's tough but short. I think this was her best match so far

    The CZE team is a good team but B-JPN could have worn them out a bit if they had any defense mojo. There were only a couple "fun" rallies in the match and it made clear who's got better aerobic health. CZE girls hanging on to one another "hold me up" while the JPN girls celebrated


    Way different opponents but the U21 Squad's got defense the B Team doesn't. Only B Teamer who looks like they'd have a lick of a chance graduating to A Team is Maki Yamaguchi, but she's short

    Playing Nonaka and Hirota at the same time with Hirota at OP and Nonaka at OH seemed weird

    Anybody else think Miina Inoue has a slightly odd posture thing going on? A mild case of short torso/hunchback? It was more pronounced when she was younger

    Nishizaki is killing it :box:

    Quote from Phoenix

    Valdes and Minowa both participated in the red and white friendly before so is it actually possible for Valdes to participate in a friendly against Poland?

    it's possible if they weren't prepping for world championship :lol: i would like to see her there even as an extra but i doubt akbas would bring her out when he could test other players. i mean their goal is not to beat poland but to find a way to avoid a blocker like korneluk

    Quote from Raf

    it's possible if they weren't prepping for world championship :lol: i would like to see her there even as an extra but i doubt akbas would bring her out when he could test other players. i mean their goal is not to beat poland but to find a way to avoid a blocker like korneluk

    They ought to paste a cardboard of Korneluk's face onto that robotic blocking machine I'm sure it'll be a huge motivation

    Quote from Phoenix

    Valdes and Minowa both participated in the red and white friendly before so is it actually possible for Valdes to participate in a friendly against Poland?

    I don't think Valdes is registered as an official trainee this year. Yes I know she did join them briefly in the first stages of camp but that was probably just to introduce her to Akbas.