In the third week of the Volleyball Nations League 2025 Women's Qualifier Round (Chiba), Japan played against France on Wednesday, July 9th local time and won 3-0 (25-21, 27-25, 25-22).
Starting Lineup
Japan
S Nakagawa, OH Akimoto (11), MB Araki (9), OP Wada (18), OH Sato (17), MB Yamada (2), L Nishimura
Substitutes: S Shiode, OH Fukazawa (1), OH Kitamado (1)
South Korea
MB Dahyun (6), S Dain (1), OH Sohwi (14), MB Hoyoung (3), OP Sungwoo (1), OH Soyoung (10), L Dahye
Substitutes: MB Chua (1), OH Yoon-ju (1), OP Ji-yoon (6)
Match Report
First set: Japan takes the lead with decisive spikes from Wada and Sato
From the beginning, both teams were tenacious in defense and long rallies continued, but with spikes from OP Wada and OH Sato, Japan took the lead 11-8. After that, Japan continued to score points mainly from those two with stable serve reception, and MB Araki's block made it 20-16, a four-point difference going into the final stages. From there, Korea narrowed the gap to 20-18 with a spike from OH Sofi, but then OH Sato made sure to get a side-out. Finally, OH Kitamado, who came in as a substitute, made a spike and Japan took the set 25-21.
Second set: South Korea shows tenacious comeback, but Japan wins as a team
Japan took a big lead from the beginning, 6-3 thanks to attacks by OH Sato, and 10-5 thanks to consecutive spikes from OH Akimoto. After that, Japan continued to score points thanks to solid floor defense led by L Nishimura and decisive spikes from OH Sato, OH Akimoto, MB Araki, and others, and the match progressed to 20-15. Korea narrowed the gap to 20-17 with a block by MB Dahyun, but a spike from OH Akimoto put Japan at 24-21 and gave them set point. From there, Korea tied the score at 24-24 at the last minute thanks to a spike from OH Sophie and a mistake by OH Akimoto, but in the end, OH Fukazawa, who came in as a substitute, scored a spike from a receive by MB Araki, and Japan took the set at 27-25.
3rd set: Big comeback with consecutive breaks from Kitamado's serve
First, Korea took the lead at 3-5 with a spike from OP Jiyun, but Japan caught up with OP Wada's service ace and others to make it 5-5. After that, Japan continued to score points mainly from OP Wada and Korea from OH Sofi and OH Soyeon, and although both sides fought for breaks, the score difference did not increase and the match progressed to 14-14. From there, Korea won the longest rally of the match to 14-16, and then with consecutive breaks from MB Dahyun's blocks, Korea extended its lead to 16-20. However, Japan scored six consecutive breaks from a serve by OH Kitamado, OP Wada's spike and MB Araki's block, and reversed the situation to 23-20. And finally, with a spike from MB Yamada, Japan won 25-22, 3-0.
Match stats▼
https://vnlw.volleystation.com/en/phase-3451-vnl-2025-women/matches/2227569
personal MVP
Yukiko Wada
Opposite
18 points (16 attack, 2 serve), attack efficiency rate 501 TP 3T
Wada was the top scorer on both teams with 18 points, and played an active role as a point getter along with Sato who scored 17 points. Her spikes were not in good condition in the match against France, but in this match she scored consistently throughout the match with an attack effectiveness rate of 501 TP3T, which is too high for a female side attacker. She was also the only aces (2 of them) from the Japanese team against Korea's solid serve reception. I felt that her hitting sound was especially amazing today.
I also think that Kitamado, who was the catalyst for the big comeback in the third set, played an MVP-level role in some spots. In any case, this match was very good as the players who had not been seen to perform well up until this point were active.
Kang So-hee
Outside hitter
14 points (attack 14), attack efficiency 401 TP 3T
She is Korea's undisputed point getter. She led the team with her powerful and error-free spikes. She made 35 attacks, and maintained a high success rate throughout the match, with no errors or blocks. She also showed a high performance in serve reception, with a success rate of 621 TP3T against Japan's powerful serves, and no points lost. However, Korea will need another stable side attacker with scoring power in addition to her.
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Qualifying Round Rankings
As of 7:00am on Friday, July 11th
1 Italy 10 wins, 0 losses, 28 points, 30/5 sets ★
2 Brazil 9 wins, 1 loss, 25 points, 27/10 sets ★
3 Japan 8 wins, 2 losses, 24 points, 27/8 sets ★
4 Poland 8 wins, 1 loss, 24 points, 26/9 sets ★
5 Türkiye 8 wins, 1 loss, 22 points, 25/8 sets ★
6 Germany 6 wins, 4 losses, 19 points, 24/18 sets
7 China 6 wins, 3 losses, 17 points, 21/15 sets
8 USA 5 wins, 4 losses, 14 points, 18/17 sets
9 Netherlands 4 wins, 6 losses, 13 points, 16/22 sets
10 Czech Republic 4 wins, 5 losses, 10 points, 15/19 sets
11 Dominican Republic 4 wins, 5 losses, 10 points, 15/21 set
12 France 3 wins, 7 losses, 11 points, 17/24 sets
13 Bulgaria 3 wins, 6 losses, 9 points, 15/23 sets
14 Belgium 3 wins, 7 losses, 8 points, 12/25 set
15 Canada 2 wins, 7 losses, 7 points, 13/25 sets
16 Serbia 1 win 9 losses 8 points 15/28 sets
17 Thailand 1 win 9 losses 5 points 9/28 set
18 South Korea 1 win 9 losses 4 points 9/29 set
★…Final Round advancement confirmed
Next race information
July 12th (Sat) 19:20～ vs Poland
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Photo: FIVB
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