2022-23 V.LEAGUE DIVISION1 MEN Regular Round Match 32
March 12 (Sun) 13:00
away game
ENTRIO (Toyoda Gosei Memorial Gymnasium)
| Panasonic Panthers |
team | Wolfdogs Nagoya |
|---|---|---|
|
3 
|
|
1 
|
Match Details
The 2022-23 V.LEAGUE DIVISION1 Regular Round Match 32 was held on Sunday, March 12 at Entrio (Inazawa City, Aichi Prefecture), where the Panasonic Panthers (hereinafter referred to as the Panthers) faced off against the Wolfdogs Nagoya.
[Set 1]
Although the team struggled early on to connect on quick attacks and gave up consecutive points after being disrupted by the opponent's serves, they stayed in the game with points from Kubiak and a service ace from Fukatsu, reaching the technical timeout at 10-12. After the timeout, the Panthers calmly secured side-outs and applied pressure with blocks to force opponent errors, successfully turning the game around to 15-13. As the set entered the final stages in a close contest, a defensive play by Shimizu led to a two-attack by Fukatsu and a powerful spike by Kubiak, giving the team a 3-point lead. Despite being caught up after struggling against the opponent's serves with varying speeds, Evade-Dan and Kubiak secured consecutive blocks to take the set 27-25.
[Set 2]
Carrying the momentum from the first set, the team played with high precision from the start to gain an advantage, taking a 4-point lead with spikes from Shimizu and blocks from Yamauchi. Despite some errors along the way, Otsuka scored consistently to reach the midway point of the set at 12-10, followed by a back-and-forth battle where both teams traded points. In the final stages, the Panthers seized opportunities through blocks and defense, successfully scoring consecutive points to lead 21-18. With a service ace from Otsuka and other plays, they fended off the opponent's counterattack to take the set 25-22.
[Set 3]
The early stages were marked by noticeable service errors, and as the team struggled to find their rhythm, they were disrupted by serves and allowed consecutive points. Afterward, they turned things around starting from an Otsuka serve to score consecutive points, reaching the technical timeout at 11-12. Although they fell behind in the middle, they substituted Nishiyama and Arata for Fukatsu and Shimizu, and with plays like a service ace from Otsuka, they caught up to tie the score at 20-20. However, they ultimately lost the set 23-25 after conceding points to the opponent's powerful serves.
[Set 4]
Looking to regain momentum, the Panthers built their offense around Otsuka, Kubiak, and Shimizu on the wings, taking the lead in a close contest. After reaching the technical timeout at 12-8 following repeated counterattacks from the Panthers' signature tenacious defense, they scored consecutive points through blocks by Evade-Dan and Yamauchi to enter the final stretch in a strong position at 20-14. They did not ease up on their attacks, with their blocks and defense functioning until the end, taking the set 25-17 to secure the victory.
The Panthers now have 21 wins and 11 losses (67 total points, 3rd in the league).
The next match will be on Saturday, March 18, back at home (Panasonic Arena) against the 4th-ranked Sakai Blazers.
Comments from Best Panther (VOM) player Otsuka
Thank you all for your support again today.
I think we were able to win as a team rather than as individuals against a strong opponent, and I am glad that we were able to attack with our serves and spikes. We will stay focused and prepare for the next match as one united team.
- *VOM stands for "V.leaguer of The Match," an individual award given to the player who contributed to the victory in each match.
Comments from Coach Tillie after the match
I am happy that we were able to secure a victory in another important match today. It was a tense game, and although we dropped the third set, I felt very proud watching the players reset their mindset and play with confidence.
Important matches continue next week, so please continue to support us at home.
Comments from player Iga after the match
The most important thing today is that we won. We won 3-0 yesterday, but everyone expected today to be a struggle, so even though we lost a set, I focused on playing well. We gave up some service aces and our defensive positioning was poor at times, but we were able to build the game as a team.
We have two home games next week, so I will give it my all.
Thank you for your support. Oss!!
