In the Fukuoka round of the third week of the Volleyball Nations League 2024 Women's Tournament, the Japanese national team played against South Korea on Wednesday, June 12th local time and won 3-0 (25-16, 25-16, 25-23).
Starting members
Japan
OH: Koga (15), Ishikawa (16)
MB: Yamada (1), Araki (5)
OP: Hayashi (14)
S: Iwasaki (8)
L: Kojima, Fukudome
Substitutes: MB Miyabe (2), MB Watanabe (2), OP Wada, S Matsui, OP Kurogo, OH Inoue
South Korea
OH: Sophie (6), Jiyoon (17)
MB: Jua (0), Dahyun (0)
OP: Jung Ah (1)
S: Dyne (1)
L: Dahe
Substitutes: OP Jiyoon (7), MB Hoyoung (5), S Jiwon, MB Jeongmin, OH Seungju, OH Saeyoung
*Positions: OH = outside hitter, MB = middle blocker, OP = opposite, S = setter, L = libero
※ () indicates score
TOSHIKI'S MVP
S Iwasaki Calendar
8 points (2 serves, 4 blocks), attack efficiency rate 251 TP 3T
Even though he's a setter, he scored 8 points, which is more than the middle player (lol).
His serve, which had been a strong presence in every match up to this point, earned him many breaks, including two aces. In this match, his blocks were particularly impressive, scoring four points and giving him the most service aces and blocks on the team.
Match commentary
Although they struggled in the third set against an opponent they had to win 3-0, they managed to pull off the win.
Although the South Korean women's team achieved a good result of fourth place at the Tokyo Olympics, they have fallen into a steep decline since the retirement of their star player Kim Yeon-kyung, and their world rankings have dropped significantly to 38th.
Therefore, this was a match that Japan could not afford to lose, let alone lose a single set.
The first and second sets were played at Japan's pace throughout.
Although they had few aces, they effectively broke Korea with their serves, and defended firmly with blocks and digs, and the three side players, OH Koga, OH Ishikawa, and OP Hayashi, scored spikes with a high success rate. In particular, they scored five block points in the first set and four in the second set, giving Korea no chance to counterattack.
On the other hand, South Korea struggled with spiking, and until the second set, only OH Ji-yoon and OH So-fi were able to score any attack points.
However, in the third set, the attacking effectiveness of the two players mentioned above, who switched positions, increased, and OP Jiyoon and MB Hoyoung, who entered the court in the middle of the second set, also scored points. In this set, Korea's serves, including two aces, were strong and caused trouble for Japan.
Japan was trailing at 17-20 until the end of the game, but thanks to the efforts of MB Watanabe and MB Miyabe, who came on midway through the third set, they managed to turn the game around to 21-20.Then, with the team working together in solid defense towards the end, OH Ishikawa and OH Koga scored to take the third set 25-23.
It was unexpected that South Korea gave us so much trouble in the third set, but it was still huge that we managed to turn the game around and win in the end.
The two-substitution midfielder, which could be considered a tactic, ended up working, and I think it was good that we were able to respond well to the opponent towards the end of the set. It was also really great that OH Ishikawa and OH Koga were able to score properly at the crucial moments.
Ideally, we would have liked to play with mostly reserve players and win 3-0, but in the end we didn't have that kind of flexibility.
Now, if they win the next match against Canada, they will be qualified for the Paris Olympics without waiting for the two games over the weekend. I think Canada will be going all out to compete for the Paris Olympics, so it will be an interesting match.
For detailed match stats,Here
Highlight Video
Standings (as of June 12th)
VNL Rankings
1. Brazil 9 wins 25 points ★
2. Poland 8 wins 24 points
3. Italy 7 wins 22 points
4. Japan 7 wins 21 points
5. Türkiye 7 wins 21 points
6. China 6 wins 18 points
7. USA 5 wins 16 points
8. Canada 5 wins 15 points
9. Netherlands 5 wins 15 points
10. Serbia 3 wins 9 points
11. Dominican Republic 3 wins 9 points
12. Germany 2 wins 6 points
13. Thailand 2 wins 5 points ★
14. South Korea 1 win 4 points
15. France 1 win 4 points
16. Bulgaria 1 win 2 points
*The top 7 teams and the host country (Thailand) will advance to the final round (June 20-23)
★…Final round advancement confirmed
World Rankings
1. Türkiye 390.69 ☆
2. Brazil 389.12 ☆
3. Poland 366.17 ☆
4. Italy 364.69 ★
5. America 348.78 ☆
6. Japan 330.63
7. China 329.55
8. Serbia 314.63 ☆
9. Netherlands 300.32
10. Canada 282.55
11. Dominican Republic 272.22 ☆
12. Germany 213.10
19 France 165.11 ☆
20 Kenya 162.42 ★ (Top in Africa)
*At the end of the VNL qualifying round, the top three countries, excluding the top Asian team, the top African team, and the team that has already qualified for the Paris Olympics, will qualify for the Paris Olympics.
☆…Host country and countries that have qualified through Olympic qualifiers
★…Qualification for the Paris Olympics confirmed after the VNL qualifying round
Next race information
vs Canada
June 13th (Thursday) 19:20~ (Japan time)
Television broadcast
Terrestrial TBS series (live broadcast from 19:00)
TBS Nations League special site (you can check the TV broadcast schedule, etc.):https://www.tbs.co.jp/volley-nationsleague/
Online broadcast (LIVE)
①VBTV (English, paid): https://www.volleyballworld.tv/home
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Photo: FIVB
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Japanese