The Nations League 2021 kicked off safely last week. The first week of the men's tournament ended yesterday. The Japanese national team got off to a great start with three consecutive wins! Yesterday's match against Russia was particularly exciting and showed the team's growth. I would like to look back on the first week of the VNL2021, focusing on the match against Japan.
Japan representative of the first week
① vs Iran 〇3-0 (25-19, 25-22, 26-24)

Photo by FIVB
Starting lineup for the first set (serving order)
Japan
OH Ishikawa
MB Yamauchi
OP Shimizu
OH Ai Takahashi
MB Onodera
S Fujii
L. Yamamoto
Iran
MB Mousavi
OP Ga'Hoole
OH Shalehi
MB Modjarrad
S Vaddi
OH Ebadipur
L Hazratpur
As expected, Nishida was not able to make it in time, so Shimizu was in the opening match, and Takahashi Ai was in the diagonal position opposite Ishikawa. Ishikawa was in the number 2 position next to the setter as usual, and Takahashi was in the number 5 position. On the other hand, my prediction that Iran would come with about half veterans and half young players was correct, but it was surprising that they used young Vadi instead of the essential "sage setter" Maloof. In fact, Maloof was not even seen on the bench for this game.
I don't know if this was the reason, but Iran was not in good form from the first set and made noticeable mistakes. On the other hand, Japan's performance was excellent, and both outside players Ishikawa and Takahashi Ai in particular played as expected. Ishikawa, despite it being his first match for the national team in a long time, showed off his sharp movements as "World-class Ishikawa", scoring the most points of both teams with 18 points, and it also seemed that he made a large contribution in ways that were not directly related to the points. On the opposite side, Takahashi Ai, although it was his first official match for the national team and in an unfamiliar foreign land, he played with the same stability and dignity as he does in training matches in Japan, scoring the second highest with 16 points. His characteristic receiving also contributed greatly.
In the third set, Iran's OP Ghafur and OH Fayaji, who substituted in the middle of the match, came back to life and the match went to deuce, but overall they won in straight sets without any trouble. They got off to a great start. It's been a while since they've won in straight sets against Team A Iran.
However, I am worried about Shimizu, the opposite. I have been thinking about this since the training match, but he didn't seem to be in good shape. As expected, he was substituted midway, and instead of Otake, he was replaced by Otsuka, who is normally an outside player. The opposite Otsuka. And he was good. In terms of attack success rate, he was 61%, which was much higher than the two outside players mentioned above. Who would have thought that Otsuka would break into the battle between Nishida and the other opposite player here? The battle here is fierce as well...
Also, when I was watching the opening credits of Otsuka, the face of his senior from Waseda, Miyaura, came to mind and I felt a little sad lol.
② vs Netherlands 3-2 (22-25, 23-25, 25-22, 25-17, 15-8)

Photo by FIVB
First set starting lineup (serving order)
Japan
OP Shimizu
OH Ai Takahashi
MB Onodera
S Fujii
OH Ishikawa
MB Yamauchi
L. Yamamoto
Netherlands
MB Pluck
OP Nimil
OH Terhorst
MB Van Tilburg
S. Deveyer
OH Andringa
L Libero
Japan probably used the same lineup as in the previous day's match against Iran (though the rotation was slightly shifted). To be honest, before the match I thought we could win a little more easily, but that wasn't the case. I knew that the Netherlands' OP Nimir was dangerous, but in this match we were troubled not only by him, but also by OH Terhorst's high spikes and MB Plak's fast quicks. For these reasons, Japan had a hard time getting into the flow, and the match proceeded at the Netherlands' pace until the second set. Like yesterday, they replaced the opposite with Otsuka, the setter with Sekita, and the middle with Takahashi Kentaro, but they couldn't get that "one more hit."
However, Japan had been taking thorough measures, such as targeting Terhorst, who was weak at receiving, with serves and closely marking Nimir on the block. Perhaps this put pressure on the opponent, as the Netherlands began to make noticeable mistakes from this set onwards, and ace Minil was shut down by Ishikawa, leaving the Netherlands in a depressed state. Meanwhile, Japan used quick plays and pipes from a stable defense to not allow the opponent to break. Before we knew it, Japan was always in the lead, and in the end Minil's serve went out, setting the game. Japan came back from two sets down to win the full set.
The best scorer of this match was Takahashi Ai with 26 points. His spike success rate was also amazing with 57.891 TP3T. He also contributed greatly to the defense as well as the offense in this match. He was able to receive the serve of Nimir without breaking down, especially when he had 6 aces in one match the day before. I think that being able to respond well to his serve in the early stages put pressure on him later and induced him to make a serve error. Takahashi Kentaro, who joined in the middle of the match, also produced a lot of points with his high quick kicks and contributed with blocks. He must be the best in terms of spike height and power among the Japanese midfielders. Am I the only one who thinks he is more active in international matches than in the V-League? Anyway, this day was "Takahashi Day" lol.
③ vs. Russia 〇3-2 (26-28, 28-26, 25-20, 21-25, 14-16)

Photo by FIVB
First set starting lineup (serving order)
Japan
OH Takanashi
MB Lee
OP Otsuka
OH Fukuzawa
MB Kentaro Takahashi
S. Sekita
L Ogawa
Russia
OP Mikhailov
OH Podlesnik
MB Volvic
S. Knob Monkey
OH Kuriuka
MB Kurkaev
L. Barankov
Japan beat Russia in the 2019 World Cup. However, the Russian team at that time was mostly a B team, and Japan didn't have Nishida, so before the match started I thought it would be a good result if they could win even one set. And the moment I saw Japan's starting lineup, I honestly thought, "They're not going to put in Ishikawa? Are they going to throw the match away?" (laughs). On the other hand, the opponent, although they didn't have Muserskiy, lined up Mikhailov on the opposite and Kliuka on the outside, and it seemed like they were serious about winning. I have a feeling that the match will end quickly...
However, in a good way, those expectations were betrayed. Right from the first set, they were competing on equal terms against the high wall of Russia! Takanashi and Takahashi Kentaro especially stood out. Fukuzawa was also so good that it made me wonder if he had always been that good. Meanwhile, perhaps Russia was nervous about being put up a good fight by Japan, who didn't have Ishikawa or Nishida, and made many mistakes. The game went to deuce, but a quick move from Takahashi, who was in top form, gave Japan the lead in the first set. Kentaro's done it. Hmm, could they keep going like this...?
The second set continued with the same momentum and Japan led in the early stages. Although Russia, who had replaced Pankov as the setter, overtook Japan in the middle of the set, they managed to hang on with the tosses of Oya, who replaced them with two substitutes, and Ogawa's desperate passes over the net, and succeeded in turning the game around when relief server Ai Takahashi replaced Fukuzawa. It seemed like they could continue with the score at 24-23, but then Russia took the lead. Kliuka scored a service ace right on the line to bring the game to deuce, and then it was Mikhailov, Mikhailov, Mikhailov! Russia took the second set. It seemed like Mikhailov was in a winning streak. The third set was a fire-breathing for the Russian giants. Seven block points in just this set! This is Russia. Fukuzawa, who had a 100% success rate in the second set, dropped to 7% in this set. Russia led from start to finish and the third set was in Russia's hands.
Oya and Otake were used from the start of the fourth set. For some reason, Russia replaced Kliuka with Bogdan. Even so, it seemed like Russia would continue on like this, but Japan was unstoppable. Or rather, Otake was unstoppable. Otake has a strong image of being shut out by straining. However, on this day, every ball he hit was a hit! He even made a "Kaiju Block!! (VNL English commentary)" (lol). Oya also shook up the opponent by serving into the annoying zone 2 of the opponent's S6 rotation, and Ogawa also made another great save. Ogawa is amazing, he's going to gain more fans overseas. That's how the initial "O"s are in action (lol)! Oh, Otsuka has replaced Fukuzawa. With four "O"s on the court, it's time for a full set!
In the fifth set, Oya's serve created momentum and they continued to take the lead. Russia was looking for a chance to turn the game around with Pankov's service aces, but Otake was unstoppable! Just like Romantic was unstoppable, Otake was unstoppable. I've never seen such a reliable Otake! What's wrong with Otake?! At the end, Otsuka's serve went over the net and Takahashi Ai got a direct hit! Hey, hey, they beat Russia! Even though Mikhailov was there. And even though Ishikawa and Nishida weren't there. It's amazing. It's amazing to see so many players doing so well. Japan's level has really risen. I'm looking forward to the upcoming matches. MVP is Otake. Runner up is Ogawa.
However, if Russia had continued to use OH Kliuka, who wasn't that bad, after the fourth set, things might have been different. Russia's coach Coppi may have wanted Bogdan to gain experience, but that backfired. He also saved OH Volkov. Next time, I'd like to see a real full-men showdown between Japan and Russia.
*Live and archive videos of all matches in the Nations League 2021, including the match against Japan, can be viewed atVolleyball TVYou can watch it on!
If you haven't yet registered an account or purchased a license, please refer to the article below to complete the process!
How to watch the online broadcast of "Volleyball Nations League 2021"!
Best Games of WEEK 1
In addition, we will introduce the three best games between overseas players from the first week of the VNL!
1. Serbia vs Slovenia 3:1 (22-25, 25-18, 36-34, 25-18)
A showdown between two former Yugoslavs. Don't miss the deuce-style battle in the fourth set, where neither side will give in! Serbia's former JT Sanders player Luburic is a big player. Slovenia has Kozamelnik, a middle player, and Urnaut, a side player, who played with Ishikawa at Milan!
Watch the game on Volleyball TV
②France vs Germany 3:2 (22-25, 25-22, 22-25, 25-16, 17-15)
The German-French match will be a fierce battle that will go to the full set! The tactics of the French national team coach, Tille, who is also the coach of Panasonic, will be outstanding. There will also be a showdown between the handsome players OH Reichert of Germany and OH Clevenau of France! (lol)
Watch the game on Volleyball TV
3) Poland vs Serbia 3:1 (26-24, 25-19, 21-25, 25-15)
Cuban-born Polish monster Leon set a new VNL record with 13 aces in a single match. Watch his incredible performance.
Watch the game on Volleyball TV
Standings (runners-up at the end of Week 1)
- Brazil 3 wins 9 points (winners)
- France 3 wins 8 points
- Japan 3 wins 7 points
- Russia 2 wins 7 points
- Poland 2 wins 6 points
- Slovenia 2 wins 6 points
- Germany 2 wins 6 points
- USA 2 wins 6 points
- Serbia 2 wins 6 points
- Bulgaria 1 win 4 points
- Canada 1 win 3 points
- Iran 1 win 3 points
- Netherlands 0 wins 1 point
- Italy 0 wins 0 points
- Australia 0 wins 0 points
- Argentina 0 wins 0 points
*Rankings are determined by number of wins > points > set rate > point rate.

Brazil, No. 1 Photo by FIVB
Japan's match schedule for week 2
3rd Thursday 20:00~ Serbia
4th (Fri) 20:00~ Brazil
5th (Sat) 20:00~ France
They are all strong teams. I would like to win at least one here, and hopefully two.
The games will be broadcast on BS-TBS at noon on the 3rd and 4th, and one hour late on the 5th. You can watch the live broadcast on Volleyball TV.If you haven't yet registered an account or purchased a license, please refer to the article below to complete the process!
How to watch the online broadcast of "Volleyball Nations League 2021"!
I'm looking forward to week 2!!!