OSAKA, NEC to Clash for first 2024-25 DAIDO LIFE SV.LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP

The inaugural DAIDO LIFE SV.LEAGUE WOMEN Championship Finals kick off on Friday, May 2. Regular season champion OSAKA MARVELOUS will take on NEC RED ROCKETS KAWASAKI at Ariake Arena in Tokyo.

OSAKA finished the regular season with a 37-7 win-loss record, while NEC ended with a 30-14 record, the same as third-placed SAGA Hisamitsu Springs and one better than DENSO AIRYBEES, who finished fourth at 29-15.

OSAKA breezed past Astemo Rivale Ibaraki 3-0 in their first QuarterFinals match but had to fight their way into the SemiFinals after a 3-2 win in their second match. NEC’s QuarterFinals against TORAY ARROWS SHIGA ended with the exact same score, 3-0, 3-2. In the SemiFinals, DENSO shocked OSAKA 3-0 in the opener, but OSAKA fought back to take the next two matches 3-1 and 3-0 to reach the Finals. NEC also didn’t have it their own way in the semis. They overcame SAGA HM 3-1 in the opener but then crashed 3-0 on their home court in the second match. They recovered to post a convincing 3-0 victory in the decider.

While OSAKA dominated the league in terms of results, NEC came out on top in the team “Successful Attack” rankings with a 40 percent rating to OSAKA’s 39.1, the same as SAGA HM. NEC also edged OSAKA in blocking, the two teams finishing fourth and fifth in the ranking. OSAKA did significantly better in reception, finishing second in the league, while NEC could only manage ninth place. In the individual stats, NEC’s Yoshino Sato placed third with 895 points – the top Japanese player in the league – while OSAKA’s top scorer was Lise Van Hecke with 648 points.

 

NEC RED ROCKETS KAWASAKI

Head Coach Takayuki Kaneko (JPN): I think the improvement in our players' communication skills is one of our strengths. Coach Sakai was appointed to a management position at OSAKA MARVELOUS this year and I don't think he has fully shown his capabilities as a coach yet. I think he might be holding back a lot. So, in this final I think he will show us everything he has. He's a senior I admire, to use a certain baseballer's words, but tomorrow I want to fight him without any hesitation.

Captain Yuka Sawada (JPN): We want to value team strength and focus on winning. Yes, we have the goal of winning three consecutive championships, but for the first in this DAIDO LIFE SV.LEAGUE, we want to take the top spot. It's not just the increased number of games, but also the season work, the Club Championship and the World Club Championship where we split the team into two. Everyone had the opportunity to play, and I think each person was able to grow. I want to fight hard in the finals.

Ajcharaporn Kongyot (THA): I think after the SemiFinals everybody’s ready for the Finals. We are in good condition, with good concentration. As for my condition, I’m ready to support the team. Tomorrow, we need a good serve and a good block, and defense will be the main point. The OSAKA team has good defense and good blocking and a fast tempo, and if we can’t connect with each other, it will be hard for us. If we can cover with a fast tempo, it will be easy for us. If we win, it’s the first SV.LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP so it will be a big story, so that’s important.

Lorrayna Marys Da Silva (BRA): Everybody’s good and they are ready for the Finals. I’m good and I’m excited for these Finals. I’ve worked the whole season for this moment, so I’m good. I think we must remain calm and focused because OSAKA is a good team. It’s important to do what we’ve practiced every day and not rush things, but to play aggressively. I think their team is always calm; they don’t rush things at any moment and they have good defense and receiving. And they play very, very fast, so it’s difficult to block. My coach is always helping me and talking to me and he’s always calm and this is good for the game. I’m very excited as it’s my first time in Japan and for me it’s very important to have this experience and it’s my first time in the Finals.

 

OSAKA MARVELOUS

Head Coach Daisuke Sakai (JPN): Our strength is the ability to make adjustments. Coach Kaneko, my initial image of him, and I still have this image from our student days, is that he is a fearless leader, and he can switch gears quite easily, I think. I think it will be a really tough game and we also need to go at them with all our mental strength and every aspect of our game to win. So, we are preparing thoroughly for tomorrow. I think each of our players has a high level of that ability. Although we are a team that lacks offensive power, we are also tenacious in defense.

Captain Mizuki Tanaka (JPN): The fact that we couldn't perform to our full potential in last year's final, I think the question is whether we can bring the team to its peak for this Finals. I don't really think about that past experience. First, I want to organize things with the current team members and fight together while building the team towards the final. Because we had a lot of games, we were able to play with various members and combinations throughout the season. In that sense, I think there was growth in individual skills and the confidence gained from playing in matches. So, in that regard the whole team was able to discuss things. We had some injuries, but everyone contributed to the team in some way and experienced winning. I think that was a source of confidence and something good for each individual. I've been with OSAKA the longest and I've had various experiences. I heard that when I joined, we had been in the Challenge League and we also experienced relegation. So, there are many experiences that only I and maybe a few others have gone through. We have players with various characteristics and, as I said earlier, by playing in different combinations and with different members, we've been able to show different aspects of OSAKA. So, in that regard, in the Finals starting tomorrow, no matter which players go out, they will fulfill their roles and we want to show that we are a team that can win.

Sachi Minowa (JPN): If you ask me about the condition of the team, I think we are in good shape and we are ready for tomorrow’s Finals. I’m really good and really excited for tomorrow’s game. I think the skills we have to do tomorrow are serve and connection of block and defense, because they have really good spikers, and I think doing aggressive serves with them will help us to connect the block and defense. I want to say good luck to everyone and let’s do our best tomorrow no matter what happens. Let’s help each other and have no regrets at the end. And I love you all! They really have good spikers – their No. 2 Sato and they have good blockers and good defense.

Lise Van Hecke (BEL): I think we’re in good shape. I think after the last two DENSO games we got our confidence and everyone is ready to play in the Finals. I’m good, I’m ready. I think we just need to try and play our game. We have a good offense, we have a good serve-receive, so I think if we can express that it will be our best tactics for tomorrow and show what we have shown all season. They have tall players and good offense, and they have good attackers. It will be up to us to make their offense less effective and try to do our defense and blocks. It’s always special to play a final and since it’s a new SV.LEAGUE. It’s been a long season; it’s been very exhausting but we’re very excited to be here so we will give everything tomorrow.

 

Competition Overview Women:

Each club plays a total of 44 matches in a home-and-away format. The top 8 clubs advance to the championship. The championship follows a tournament format, where teams compete in a best-of-three format, with the first to win two matches advancing from the QuarterFinals to the Finals.

CHAMPIONSHIP Finals:
Game 1: 18:40, Friday, May 2 at Ariake Arena

Game 2: 17:40, Saturday, May 3 at Ariake Arena

Game 3: 15:10, Sunday, May 4 at Ariake Arena

Please note that Game 3 will not be held if either team secures two victories