Global Talent Shines in Inaugural SV.LEAGUE Season

The 2024-25 DAIDO LIFE SV.LEAGUE, Japan’s premier volleyball league that kicked off on October 11 last year, concluded its inaugural regular season on April 13. With the finalization of individual player rankings today, international athletes have overwhelmingly topped the charts.

In the Women’s division, Sylvia Chinelo Nwakalor (TORAY ARROWS SHIGA | ITA) secured first place in Total Points Scored with 1,047 points, followed by two-time Olympic medalist Rosamaria Montibeller (DENSO AIRYBEES | BRA) with 927 points. Brionne Butler (Astemo Rivale Ibaraki | USA) earned double crowns with a 51.7% Successful Attack rate and 0.86 Blocks per set. Juliet Lohuis (TORAY ARROWS SHIGA | NED) led in Serve Efficiency, while Haruna Kawabata (DENSO AIRYBEES | JPN) topped the Reception Success rate with 54.1%.

In the Men’s division, international players completely swept the Top 5 in total scoring. Nimir Abdel-Aziz (WOLFDOGS NAGOYA | NED) led with an overwhelming 1,181 points, followed by Dmitriy Muserskiy (SUNTORY SUNBIRDS OSAKA | RUS) with 942 points. The rest of the top five included Torey DeFalco (JTEKT STINGS AICHI | USA), a bronze medalist at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Felipe Moreira Roque (HIROSHIMA THUNDERS | BRA), and Sharone Vernon-Evans (NIPPON STEEL SAKAI BLAZERS | CAN). Abdel-Aziz also captured two other titles, leading in Successful Attack rate (57.5%) and Serve Efficiency (17.7). Keigo Nishimoto (TORAY ARROWS SHIZUOKA | JPN) ranked first in blocks per set, surpassing Muserskiy, while Aiki Mori (NIPPON STEEL SAKAI BLAZERS | JPN) claimed the top spot in Reception Success rate with 55.2%.

DAIDO LIFE SV.LEAGUE, with the ambitious goal of becoming the world’s top volleyball league by 2030, began its first season under the new vision — Attack the Top. Players from 25 countries and regions across Asia, Europe, North America, and South America are participating.

In the regular season, each team played 44 matches. In the Women’s league, OSAKA MARVELOUS emerged victorious among 14 teams, while the Men’s title went to OSAKA BLUTEON, who bested 10 teams to clinch the inaugural regular season champion.

The postseason Championship playoffs are set to begin on April 18, with the Championship Finals scheduled to start on May 2.

Individual Ranking - Total Points Scored
Women
1. Sylvia Chinelo Nwakalor (TORAY ARROWS SHIGA | ITA) – 1047 points
2. Rosamaria Montibeller (DENSO AIRYBEES | BRA) – 927 points
3. Yoshino Sato (NEC RED ROCKETS KAWASAKI | JPN) – 895 points
4. Lena Stigrot (KUROBE AQUA FAIRIES | GER) – 777 points
5. Kaja Grobelna (QUEENSEIS KARIYA | BEL) – 754 points

Men
1. Nimir Abdel-Aziz (WOLFDOGS NAGOYA | NED) – 1181 points
2. Dmitriy Muserskiy (SUNTORY SUNBIRDS OSAKA | RUS) – 942 points
3. Torey DeFalco (JTEKT STINGS AICHI | USA) – 852 points
4. Felipe Moreira Roque (HIROSHIMA THUNDERS | BRA) – 848 points
5. Sharone Vernon-Evans (NIPPON STEEL SAKAI BLAZERS | CAN) – 820 points