Osaka on to semifinal clash with Denso; Saga take lead in quarterfinal with Himeji

Osaka Marvelous became the third team to close their quarterfinal series in the women’s Daido Life SV.League in Japan and advance to next week’s semifinals, where they will play host to Denso Airybees Koriyama. The remaining semifinal spot against defending champions NEC Red Rockets Kawasaki is still up for grabs, but Saga Hisamitsu Springs took the lead against Victorina Himeji as they won the first match of their quarterfinal playoff on Sunday.

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Regular season winners Osaka showed no mercy for their opponents Astemo Rivale Ibaraki and did not allow them to win a single set in the two matches of their best-of three series. Marvelous followed up on their straight-set win on Saturday with a 3-0 (25-21, 25-16, 25-21) sweep of Sunday’s match to book a ticket to the semifinals. Belgian opposite Lise Van Hecke was once again the leading scorer of the game, as she contributed 15 points to the victory, 14 in attack and one in blocking. Outside hitter and captain Mizuki Tanaka chipped in with another 14 points, including three aces and a kill block, while American opposite Mackenzie May was Astemo’s most prolific player with 12 points, all in swings.

“We struggled with Astemo Rivale Ibaraki's high and powerful spikes during the match. However, we were able to make adjustments to our block-defense and strike with our serves for two days in a row, which I think was great,” Osaka’s head coach Daisuke Sakai commented. “We’ve gained confidence from being able to play with such precision in these two matches, which is essential for next week's semifinals. We'd like to take our game to the next level as we take on Denso Airybees. Fans, we're looking forward to seeing you at the Panasonic Arena next week!”

In the opening match of another quarterfinal playoff on Sunday, Saga Hisamitsu Springs delighted their home fans with a 3-1 (25-15, 25-22, 20-25, 25-19) win over Victorina Himeji and moved to within a win from booking the last semifinal vacancy. Saga’s American opposite Stephanie Samedy produced a match-high 24 points, including an ace. Outside Megumi Fukazawa put away another 18 towards the victory, including a block, while her counterpart Arisa Inoue led Himeji with 15 points. The visitors’ Brazilian opposite Ana Luiza Rudiger also reached the double digits with 13 points, including three blocks and an ace. The second match of the series at the Saga Arena is on Monday at 19:05 local time (10:05 UTC).

Women’s SV.League 2024-2025 quarterfinals:
Apr 21, 19:05 local (10:05 UTC): Saga Hisamitsu Springs v Victorina Himeji
Apr 22, 18:35 local (09:35 UTC): Saga Hisamitsu Springs v Victorina Himeji (if necessary)

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