In this article, we will briefly introduce the members of the Japanese men's volleyball national team who will be participating in the 3rd week of the 2023 Men's Volleyball Nations League Philippines Tournament, which will be held from Tuesday, July 4th to Sunday, July 9th, as well as the members and team characteristics of their opposing teams (China, Netherlands, Italy, and Poland), as well as players to watch.
Japan's ranking and match schedule
Ranking
Ranking at the end of Week 2: 1st place (8 wins, 0 losses, 22 points)
World ranking: 6th (as of June 30th)
As of the end of the second week, Japan is the only team that has maintained a perfect record and continues to be ranked 1st provisionally. As for the world rankings, Russia, which has not been able to participate in international tournaments, has been excluded, so Japan has risen one place from before the tournament to 6th.
Week 3 Registered Members
*1 Nishida Yuji OP 2000 187
*2 Futoshi Onodera MB 1996 202
*4 Kento Miyaura OP 1999 190
*5 Tatsunobu Otsuka OH 2000 195
*6 Akihiro Yamauchi MB 1993 204
*8 Seida Sekida S 1993 175
10 Kentaro Takahashi MB 1995 201
11 Masami Tomita OH 1997 190
12 Ai Takahashi OH 2001 188
13 Tomohiro Ogawa L 1996 175
14 Yuki Ishikawa (C) OH 1995 192
20 Tomohiro Yamamoto L 1994 171
21 Genki Eiro S 1996 192
28 Evadedan Rally MB 2000 195
From the second week's roster, Fukatsu and Kai were removed and replaced by Nagatsuyu and Evadedan.
Week 2 Match Schedule
Match against China: Tuesday, July 4, 2023, 20:00
Match against Netherlands: Friday, July 7, 2023, 20:00
Match against Italy: Saturday, July 8, 2023, 20:00
Poland match: Sunday, July 9, 2023, 20:00
*Times are Japan time
Week 3 Opponents
China
Ranking at the end of Week 2: 14th (2 wins, 6 losses, 5 points)
World ranking: 22nd (as of July 3rd)
2022
24th in the World Championships
VNL 13th place
2021
3rd place at Asian Championships
Registered Members
*1 Wang Dongcheng MB 2000 200
*2 Zhang Chuan (C) OP 1994 205
*3 Wang Hebin S 1999 188
*5 Yang Yangming L 1999 186
*6 Yu Yantai OH 1997 183
*8 Guo Chen S 1996 200
*9 Lee Yong-Chen MB 1998 200
14 Zai Dejun OH 2000 195
15 Bong Shi-kun MB 2000 208
16 Kwon Zongshai L 1999 186
18 Chen Leiyan S 1999 198
20 Lao Shuhan MB 1996 205
22 Jiang Jinying OH 1999 207
23 Wang Bin OH 2001 195
Directed by: Shen Wu
Meet our team
Like Iran, they have many big players comparable to those in Europe and the US, making them a team with great potential. However, their play still shows signs of being rough, and they have not been able to win as many games as they would have liked in this tournament.
The team's core players are the two diagonal outside hitters, Jang and Yu, who are 207cm and 183cm tall, respectively, but have completely different playing styles despite playing the same position. Also, pay attention to the quick punching power of middle blocker Lee.
The Chinese team has many players who play in Japan, such as OP Zhang (JT Hiroshima), MB Peng (Suntory), and MB Lao (WD Nagoya), and the tactics and strategies between teammates are also interesting.
In the friendly match before the start of the VNL, Japan won comfortably despite missing Ishikawa and Takahashi Ai, so there is no need to worry this time either.
Player to watch: Zhang Jingying
Outside hitter
Height: 207cm
Highest point: 357cm
Club: Gdansk (Poland)
At 207cm tall, he is the tallest Asian player and an outside hitter with great potential. Last season, he gained experience in the world's top Polish league. He was not in good form in the friendly match against Japan and did not perform well, but there is no doubt that he is the most troublesome player when he shows his true potential. He is currently leading the team, ranked 6th in the tournament's best scorer category and 3rd in the best server category. As in the friendly match, how much stress we can put on him will have a big impact on the game.
Netherlands
Ranking at the end of Week 2: 8th (4 wins, 4 losses, 14 points)
World ranking: 10th (as of July 3rd)
2022
10th in the World Championships
8th place in VNL
2021
5th place at the European Championships
VNL 14th place
Registered Members
*1 Sieve Korenbreck MB 2002 214
*2 Wessel-Keminck S 1993 198
*3 Maarten Van Halderen OH 1990 200
*4 Thays Terhorst OH 1991 205
*5 Luke Vanderend MB 1998 208
*6 Sylvester Mace S 2002 202
*7 Seis Jorna OH 1989 197
*8 Fabian Prak MB 1997 197
12 Benny Townstra OH 2000 195
14 Nimir Abdelaziz (C) OP 1992 202
16 Wauter Thermat OP 1991 200
18 Robert Andringa L 1990 192
22 Zwan Wildeburg MB 1997 204
30 Nils Lipke L 2002 180
Director: Roberto Piazza (Italy)
Meet our team
The Orange team has their big ace Nimir. Until now, they have been a one-man team with OP Nimir, but in this tournament, both outside hitters OH van Halderen and OH Taunstra have contributed to the team with their high scoring ability, and they are playing volleyball that does not rely too much on Nimir. However, the ball is almost always entrusted to Nimir in the crucial moments, so there is no doubt that the key to the game will be how much stress they can put on him.
The Netherlands is also doing very well in blocking in this tournament, with 2.41 blocks per set, tied with Italy for first place. Be careful of the orange wall.
Dutch coach Piazza knows Ishikawa well, as he has been in charge of Milan, where Ishikawa has been playing for three years. However, Ishikawa is also familiar with the manager's methods, so keep an eye on the battle between these two.
Player to watch: Nimir Abdelaziz
Opposite
Height: 202cm
Highest reach: 365cm
Club: Halkbank Ankara (Türkiye)
He is one of the world's number one opposites. He is currently ranked first in the best scorer, best attacker, and best server rankings in this tournament. Although he is not that tall at 202cm, his long arms and high jumping ability make his powerful spikes and serves the strongest in the world. Furthermore, he was a setter until the middle of his career, and is good at basic play (he was also a setter for the Dutch national team). First of all, I want to make sure his serve is solid and that he doesn't get too excited about the serve.
Italy
Ranking at the end of Week 2: 7th (5 wins, 3 losses, 15 points)
World ranking: 4th (as of July 3rd)
2022
World Championship Winner
VNL 4th place
2021
European Championship Winner
Tokyo Olympics 6th place
VNL10th place
Registered Members
*5 Alessandro Micheletto OH 2001 211
*6 Simone Giannelli (C) S 1996 200
*8 Riccardo Sbertori S 1998 188
10 Leonardo Scanferra L 1998 184
12 Mattia Bottolo OH 2000 196
14 Gianluca Galassi MB 1997 201
15 Daniele Lavia OH 1999 200
16 Yuri Romano OP 1997 201
19 Roberto Russo MB 1997 207
20 Tommaso Rinaldi OH 2001 200
21 Alessandro Piccinelli L 1997 189
28 Giovanni Sanguinetti MB 2000 203
30 Leandro Mosca MB 2000 208
31 Lorenzo Sala OP 2002 200
Directed by: Ferdinand Degiorgi
Meet our team
Last year's World Championship winners. They struggled in the first week with a mainly young team, but they gradually improved from the second week when they got their main players back. Of course, they are competing in the third week in the Philippines with almost the same members as when they won the World Championships, except for the reserves.
The strength of the team is that the three wings, OH Micheletto, OH Lavia, and OP Romano, who are centered around the setter Giannelli, can score points in a balanced manner using both side-outs and high balls. They are also known for their total defense, which consists of a high block overall, including the setter, and solid digs centered around libero Scanferra.
In addition, S. Sbertoli, OP Romano, and MB Mosca are former teammates of Yuki Ishikawa, and OH Bottolo is former teammates with Ishikawa and Ai Takahashi. Keep an eye on the matchup between OP Romano and OH Ishikawa, who will likely both be in the starting lineup.
Japan has a good record against them, having won 3-2 in the Nations League in both 2021 and 2022, so it's sure to be a close match this time as well.
Player to watch: Simone Giannelli
Setter
Height: 200cm
Highest point: 363cm
Club: Perugia (Italy)
Although he is only 28 years old, he has already participated in the Olympics twice and is in his eighth year of national team career, making him a veteran setter. His aggressive tossing work, never forgetting his mid-range shot, and his ability to score with serves, blocks, and spikes are appealing. In last year's World Championship final against Poland, he pulled the momentum for his team with his two attacks and serves. He will likely continue to support the Italian national team as the starting setter at least until the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. He is one of the best setters symbolizing modern volleyball.
Poland
Ranking at the end of Week 2: 5th (6 wins, 2 losses, 14 points)
World ranking 1st (as of July 3rd)
2022
2nd in the World Championships
VNL 3rd place
2021
3rd place at the European Championships
Tokyo Olympics 5th place
2nd place in VNL
Registered Members
*3 Jakub Popivczak L 1996 180
*5 Łukasz Kaczmarek OP 1994 204
*6 Bartosz Kurek (C) OP 1988 205
*7 Karol Klos MB 1989 201
*9 Wilfredo Leon OH 1993 202
10 Bartosz Bednos OH 1994 201
11 Aleksandar Silivka OH 1995 196
12 Grzegorz Łomacz S 1987 187
15 Jakub Kochanowski MB 1997 199
16 Kamil Semeniuk OH 1996 195
17 Paweł Zatorski L 1990 184
19 Marcin Janusz S 1994 196
20 Mateusz Bieniek MB 1994 210
99 Norbert Huber MB 1998 207
Director: Nikola Grbic (Serbia)
Meet our team
Poland is ranked number one in the world and won the silver medal at last year's World Championships. OP Krek, who plays for Nagoya in Japan and led the team to victory in the league this season, is the center of the team in both name and reality. The Polish national team led by Krek is affectionately known among Polish fans as the "Bald Gangsters" (lol).
The team also has a number of outstanding outside hitters, but the strength of the middle blockers is what is noteworthy. MB Bieniek, who stands out with his 210cm height, and MB Kochanowski, who is not particularly tall at 199cm but has high athletic ability, are two players to watch out for. They are capable of scoring at a high level with every play, whether it be spiking, blocking, or serving.
Although some of the players who played against them in the friendly match before the Nations League are still there, they should be considered a completely different team. Japan will be required to take advantage of the opponent's powerful serves and get side-outs. For Japan, they will be the last and biggest opponent in this qualifying round.
Player to watch: Bartosz Kurek
Opposite
Height: 205cm
Highest reach: 370cm
Club: Wolfdogs Nagoya
A well-known Polish cannon in Japan. He leads the Polish national team as captain and point getter. His spikes and serves, which combine height and power, are extremely destructive. He also supports the team mentally with his high captaincy. However, on the other hand, the Polish national team will be in a difficult position if he stops functioning, so the key to the game will be to stress Krek. Japanese players have a lot of experience playing against each other in the V-League, so I think they will be a tough opponent for Krek.
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