SV. League 2024-2025 delivered a shocking upset as Tokyo Arrows Shizuoka and Voreas Hokkaido pulled off surprising victories over Tokyo Great Bears and Nagano Tridents.
But the victory did not last long. Tokyo bounced back with a dominant 3-0 win the following day, and Nagano responded to Hokkaido with a 3-0 clean sweep on the second day of the game.
This week, two doubleheaders in the men’s Daido Life SV. Leagues in Japan were played. The matches were exciting, as visitors upset the hosts in front of nearly three thousand people in the stands. Let’s take a look at the highlights of the matches.
| Match | Set Scores | Top Scorer (Team) | Key Player Stats | Coach Comments |
| Toray Arrows vs Tokyo Great Bears | 3-2 (25-23, 18-25, 25-18, 19-25, 15-13) | Alan Souza (Toray Arrows) | Alan Souza: 20 points (3 kill blocks, 1 ace) | Yuta Abe: “We fought as a team with one mind, which led to our victory.” |
| Tokyo Great Bears vs Toray Arrows | 3-0 (25-23, 25-21, 25-22) | Rikuto Goto (Tokyo) | Rikuto Goto: 14 points (3 aces, 2 blocks) | Kasper Vuorinen: “Small adjustments in blocking helped us win.” |
| Voreas Hokkaido vs Nagano Tridents | 3-1 (31-29, 23-25, 25-17, 25-20) | Yu-Sheng Chang (Voreas) | Yu-Sheng Chang: 30 points (3 blocks) | No comments from the coach available. |
| Nagano Tridents vs Voreas Hokkaido | 3-0 (25-15, 25-17, 25-18) | Ulrik Dahl (Nagano) | Ulrik Dahl: 17 points | No comments from the coach available. |
Toray Arrows’ Shocking Win Over Tokyo Great Bears
On Wednesday, Toray Arrows and Tokyo Great Bears pulled off a thriller five-set match where Toray Arrows handed a loss to Tokyo Great Bears with 3-2 (25-23, 18-25, 25-18, 19-25, 15-13) at the Yoyogi hall, Japan.
Toray Arrows’ Alan Souza led the team with 20 points with three kill blocks and an ace. Gaku Kusumoto and captain Tobis Takeshi Shigeto both scored 12 points, and middle blocker Keigo Nishimoto was able to produce double digits with 11.
Despite the loss, Maciej Muzaj was the top scorer from the Tokyo Side with 23 points.
Coach Yuta Abe’s comments on Toray’s teamwork said “Today, not only did each player do their job, but we also fought as a team with one mind, which was the reason we won,” commented Toray Arrows’ head coach Yuta Abe after Wednesday’s game. “Tomorrow’s game will be tough, but we will do our best without forgetting our fighting spirit as a team”.
Tokyo Great Bears’ Dominant Response
On the following day, hosts Tokyo beat Toray Arrows in dominant sets 3-0 (25-23, 25-21, 25-22). The match was challenging for Toray, as Rikuto Goto scored 14 points, including three aces and two blocks, and Maciej Muzaj added 13 points.
Alan Souza’s performance was the talk of the town despite being on the losing side as he was able to score 19 points.
After the dominant victory, Tokyo’s Finnish head coach Kasper Vuorinen said, “We were able to produce good numbers, especially in block defense. We also saw an improvement in the quality of our blocks, which was an issue yesterday. While Toray Shizuoka attacked with the tactics we expected, I think that the result of making small adjustments led to today’s victory,” said Tokyo’s Finnish head coach Kasper Vuorinen after the second game.”
Voreas Hokkaido’s Surprising Victory Over Nagano Tridents
The bottom-placed Voreas Hokkaido surprised the Nagano Tridents to get their fourth victory with sets 3-1 (31-29, 23-25, 25-17, 25-20) on Saturday. Yu-Sheng Chang of Chinese Taipei stood out, scoring 30 points, including three blocks, and leading his team to the surprise win.
However, their victory did not last long, as the host suffered a 3-0 straight loss (25-15, 25-17, 25-18) in the rematch the following day.
In the second game, Nagano Tridents’ Danish opposite Ulrik Dahl came out as the best player of the match scoring 17 points. Despite the defeat, Voreas’ win remains a highlight of the season, given their standings at the points table.
Current Standings and Look Ahead
By the end of the week, Toray Arrows remained in ninth place with a 7-23 win-loss ratio and 22 points, while Tokyo remained in fourth place with 19-13 and 59.59 points. As the season continues, Tokyo is still in a strong position for a playoff spot.
Similarly, Nagano is in eighth place on 8-22 and 20, and Voreas is in tenth place on 4-26 and 17, respectively.
As the league moves to the next round, all teams will be looking to gain crucial points and secure a win for that playoff spot. The upcoming week looks promising, as every matchup will be a hell of a contest.
