2023 Emperor's Cup & Empress's Cup All Japan Volleyball Championship Final Round Final

The final of the 2023 Emperor's Cup & Empress's Cup All Japan Volleyball Championship was held on Sunday, December 17, at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium (Shibuya Ward, Tokyo), where the Panasonic Panthers (hereinafter referred to as the Panthers) faced off against the Wolfdogs Nagoya for the Emperor's Cup title.

[Set 1]
In the early stages, the team scored primarily through Otsuka, and then built momentum with consecutive points from Ebadedan and Nishida's serves. They continued to play with high precision, maintaining a lead and reaching the technical timeout at 12-7 by converting serves and tenacious defense into points. The Panthers did not ease up on their attack, scoring consecutive points from Ebadedan's serve to make it 14-7, and added more points with plays like Jeschke's back-row attack. In the middle of the set, they were pressured by the opponent's serves and the gap narrowed to two points at 17-15, but they managed to side out effectively to pull through, and then scored consecutive points again from defense to make it 21-17. However, they were pressured by serves once more and conceded five consecutive points, falling into a difficult situation as the lead was reversed to 21-22. They attempted to change the flow by using a double substitution of Nishiyama and Ataru, and briefly managed to turn the tide, but ultimately allowed a comeback and dropped the set 25-27.

[Set 2]
The back-and-forth battle continued with both teams trading points, and Otsuka successfully returned the serve to set up the attack. The Panthers took a 10-8 lead off Evade-Dan's serve, but the opponent kept the match close by applying pressure with effective serves. Reaching the technical timeout at 12-11, the intense battle continued, and the team found themselves trailing by two points. At 12-15, Shimizu and Arata were brought in as a double substitution, and Shimizu immediately made a block to signal a counterattack. Despite struggling to close the gap, Nishida and Fukatsu returned to the court, secured a side-out, and scored consecutive points off Nishida's serve to narrow the lead to one point. Nishida then displayed high concentration to rack up points, and as the set went to deuce, Nakamoto, who had come off the bench, showed steady performance to contribute to the comeback, winning the hard-fought set 31-29.

[Set 3]
Nakamoto remained on the court, replacing Otsuka. In the early stages, the team scored consecutive points through a service ace by Fukatsu and a block by Evade-Dan, building a good lead at 7-3. With Jeschke's serve and a feint by Nakamoto, the team extended the lead to 10-5, maintaining control as they reached the technical timeout at 12-9. Nakamoto continued his strong performance, contributing to points with serves and spikes, disrupting the opponent's rhythm and entering the final stretch at 20-13. Without letting up on the attack, the team continued to score, and Nishida hit a powerful service ace to take the set 25-15, winning consecutive sets.

[Set 4]
Nishida led the way with a spike, and setter Fukatsu effectively utilized Evade-Dan and Nakamoto at key moments to score. Furthermore, the team created a rhythm from Jeschke's sharp serves, scoring consecutive points to reach the technical timeout at 12-8. Afterward, they kept the pressure on the opponent with serves and maintained the lead, entering the final phase at 20-16, though the opponent scored consecutive points to narrow the gap to two at 20-18. The team extended their lead with plays like a block by Evade-Dan, and finally, Nishida scored with a feint to take the set 25-23, securing their fifth Emperor's Cup title in five tournaments.

Comments from Coach Tillie after the match

Comments from MVP Nishida after the match

Comments from Yamauchi after the match