SUNTORY SUNBIRDS OSAKA Face Off against JTEKT STINGS AICHI for SV.LEAGUE Crown

The first DAIDO LIFE SV.LEAGUE MEN CHAMPIONSHIP Finals get under way in Tokyo on Saturday, May 3, when SUNTORY SUNBIRDS OSAKA take on JTEKT STINGS AICHI at Ariake Arena.

Japan’s newly rebranded top domestic league began with a fresh look and spanned nearly seven months, featuring a 44-match regular season followed by best-of-three QuarterFinals and SemiFinals rounds. The SV.LEAGUE has set its sights on “becoming the world’s best volleyball league.” True to that mission, the 2024-25 season has brought together elite-level talent from around the globe, including many current stars of the Japan men’s national team.

With a 36-8 win-loss record, SUNTORY finished the regular season in second place behind OSAKA BLUTEON (37-7). Both qualified automatically for a place in the SemiFinals. The STINGS AICHI finished fourth in the standings at 26-18 behind the WOLFDOGS NAGOYA (35-9) and had to overcome Tokyo Great Bears to reach the SemiFinals, where they defeated the OSAKA B 3-1, 3-2. SUNTORY took on the WD NAGOYA in the other SemiFinals and had to come back from an initial defeat to win 2-3, 3-0, 3-1. SUNTORY were the last V.LEAGUE Division 1 winners – and champions in three of the last four years – and will now hope to be the first SV.LEAGUE champions.

SUNTORY SUNBIRDS OSAKA
One of the stars of the SV.LEAGUE is Ran Takahashi, who chose the SV.LEAGUE and SUNTORY after spending two years in Italy's Serie A. Now approaching the end of his first season, Takahashi reflects: “The level of play has exceeded all my expectations.”
The regular-season title race went down to the final round and the championship stage has been packed with tightly contested battles – so intense that even Japan’s top ace described it as “beyond imagination.”
After winning the 2024 Emperor’s Cup in late December, SUNTORY suffered a blow early in the new year when star middle blocker Taishi Onodera went down with injury. Despite this setback, they held their ground near the top of the standings. Although they ultimately lost the regular-season title to OSAKA B, they finished with an impressive 16-match winning streak.
SUNTORY’s offensive “three arrows” are formidable: Ran Takahashi and De Armas Alain as outside hitters, and Dmitriy Muserskiy as the opposite. This power trio is orchestrated by veteran setter Masaki Oya, the mastermind behind their recent three championship runs.

JTEKT STINGS AICHI
STINGS AICHI entered this season with what could be described as a “super-sized” roster upgrade. They welcomed U.S. national team star Torey DeFalco and Brazilian Olympic gold medalist Ricardo Lucarelli Souza to form a world-class outside hitter duo. Returning opposite Kento Miyaura, back for the first time in three seasons, added even more firepower. These weapons are managed by Japan’s national team setter and tactical general Masahiro Sekita.
Despite finishing fourth in the regular season – largely due to multiple injuries and time needed for team chemistry to gel – STINGS AICHI looked dominant in the SemiFinals against top-seeded OSAKA BLUTEON. After securing their ticket to the final, head coach Michał Gogol confidently stated: “Strong teams grow stronger by overcoming adversity. Today, we proved our strength once again.”

While the offensive stars on both sides are sure to shine, the Finals’ spotlight isn’t reserved for attackers alone. On defense, the middle blocker matchup is world-class: SUNTORY’s Taishi Onodera and STINGS AICHI’s Kentaro Takahashi are both core players for Team Japan. As for the liberos, Tomohiro Ogawa (STINGS AICHI) is widely regarded as one of the best in the world and Soshi Fujinaka (SUNTORY) is not far behind in talent and consistency.
Looking at the teams’ season-long play styles, SUNTORY boasts a deep roster and a system in which any player can step up – truly a “strong team from top to bottom.” On the other hand, STINGS AICHI is a collection of exceptional individuals who have come together to form a powerful unit.
The outcome is impossible to predict, but one thing is certain – it will be a breathtaking clash to remember.


SUNTORY Head Coach Olivier Lecat (FRA):
We’re still alive after 44 games of the regular season. It’s been a long trip and we’re proud to be here to have the chance to fight to the end of this championship. We are where we want to be and I’m happy and proud of my team. We have the finals in front of us and this is a special moment. STINGS AICHI is a really experienced team, maybe not in finals of championships in Japan but a lot of players have international experience and international knowledge.
We are humble and have worked hard to arrive in the Finals. We’re really focused on what we can create, to try and control some parts of STINGS AICHI. They are tough opponents and it will be a really exciting game. I hope the fans will appreciate that. Both teams have a lot of skills and knowledge of volleyball, but the Finals are totally different games. They are really emotional games, so we must be really clever and ready to fight together. It’s the Finals, so it’s important to control our emotions. We have a lot of respect for how they work and how they stepped up during the season, how they overcame their injuries and arrived at a really high level. They will push us to be at our best level tomorrow and the beginning of next week.

(Captain) Kenya (Fujinaka) is an experienced player. He missed a lot at the beginning of the season because we decided to let him have surgery because he had a problem with his ankle. But when I arrived last season, he was a very important player and man to teach me about volleyball in Japan, how the championship works, how the team works and how the company works. He’s the face of volleyball in Japan and for sure the face of Suntory and an important player with a lot of experience who has played in many finals with SUNTORY. He has helped us and I hope he will still help us in these last moments of the SV.LEAGUE. He’s a gentleman and a professional and is still very important for me.

SUNTORY Captain Kenya Fujinaka (JPN):
It's been a long season, but we’ve finally reached the Finals. This team has been built carefully over time under our head coach, and I believe we’re ready to show everyone a great game in the upcoming Finals. I’ve worked with (Coach) Olivier since last season, and together we were able to achieve great results. I'm truly honored to have been chosen as captain this season and I’ve approached every moment with the determination to live up to that responsibility. Although my time on court has been limited this season, I believe I’ve fulfilled my role as captain in supporting the team until now. This may be Olivier’s first season as our head coach, but I hope we can create a meaningful achievement for his coaching career. It’s been a long road, but the team’s goal has remained constant: to become the first-ever SV.LEAGUE champions. We’ve all moved forward with the same focus and unity. Now that we’re just one step away, we are determined to claim that title.


STINGS AICHI Head Coach Michal Gogol (POL):
At first, I must say I’m very proud of the team to play here in Ariake Arena. More than a month ago, we made a plan for the playoffs and how to get here, and we printed a nice picture of Ariake Arena in our hall. This was our motivation, this was our goal: to be here. Of course, we are very humble. We’ve had many problems this season and we’re going to face a very strong team with a lot of experience in playing in finals and winning titles. We will do our best to compete and give our fans as much joy as we can.

I think we are going to face a strong team and a very complete and balanced team, playing total volleyball in many, many aspects and controlling the ball very well. Also, SUNTORY has many experienced players who help the team in single very important moments in matches. As the SemiFinals showed, I think in volleyball sometimes one ball can decide, and who knows if it will be like this in this series. But for our team, it’s another great opportunity to grow and play. During every game against SUNTORY this season, we always played with different members because every time someone was missing, someone was out. Of course, it’s not an excuse and we are just happy to play with a full team and all our players are healthy and we have a chance to play in the top match of the SV.LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP Finals.

I think the difference of the captains is that Kenya Fujinaka is a great memory of SUNTORY and I think (Captain) Kazuyuki (Takahashi) is the future of STINGS AICHI, not only for STINGS AICHI, but also of Japanese volleyball. Of course, it's not so easy to be a captain of a team with superstars, but he’s doing an amazing job and he's also an amazing person to connect the team, the players, not only inside the team, but also to connect the players to me as a coach, and he sometimes comes to me as the voice of the team. After the 50 games we’ve had this season, I want to thank Kazuyuki for what he’s done for the team. Believe me, it’s not so easy to come at the important point of a match and do an amazing job, so I have a big respect and big credit for Kazuyuki. Thank you for what you’ve done.

STINGS AICHI Captain Kazuyuki Takahashi (JPN)
I’m truly happy to be here at the Finals. It’s a great honor to face such a strong team like the SUNBIRDS and I’m looking forward to playing with a deep sense of gratitude toward all of our fans. This is our second season with Coach Gogol. He’s extremely passionate about volleyball—and he loves to talk (laughs)! There were some very tough times this season, but thanks to the open communication he encouraged, we were able to come together as a team and move in the right direction. I believe reaching the Finals is the result of that. I'm truly grateful to him, and also to all of my teammates. To be honest, we don’t want to put pressure on ourselves by thinking too much about being the “first champions.” But we’ve worked hard all season with one goal: to win. So we'll take it one match at a time, play with joy, and do our best to show the fans how exciting and fun volleyball can be.