matchday programMatchday Program

Hello everyone. I'm analyst Kyogo Iwasawa. This week's home game is against JTEKT STINGS Aichi.

JTEKT STINGS Aichi has added four new players this season. The team has strengthened its roster with the arrival of #2 Kentaro Takahashi (Middle Blocker), who has won the Best Blocker award for three consecutive seasons since 2021-22; #24 Tomohiro Ogawa (Libero), a three-time Best Receiver award winner; #23 TJ DeFalco (Outside Hitter) from the U.S. national team; and #26 Ricardo Lucarelli (Outside Hitter) from the Brazilian national team. A key characteristic of the team is its combination attack, driven by the diverse and well-balanced distribution of #8 Masahiro Sekita (Setter), which has led to a high attack success rate for each attacker, with the team's current overall attack success rate at 52.1%.

Players to watch for JTEKT STINGS Aichi include #9 Go Murayama (Middle Blocker), #15 Kento Miyaura (Opposite), and #23 TJ DeFalco.

Although Murayama is relatively small for a middle blocker at 192 cm, he is a threat in both attack and blocking due to his high adaptability to opponents and tosses. He has a high hit point on his attacks and adjusts his timing and placement based on the blockers' positioning, currently maintaining a 65.5% success rate. He possesses a rich variety of attacks, including quicks hit while drifting in the air and the slide attack, which is rare for male players.

Miyaura is a 190 cm left-handed opposite who is a scoring threat in all aspects of attack, blocking, and serving. He ranks 3rd in the league (top among Japanese players) in total points with 218 (180 attack points, 21 block points, 17 service aces). He has high precision in placing his attacks, capable of both hitting around the block and hitting through it, with a very high success rate of 54.7%. Furthermore, his jump serve curves significantly from the point of impact, making it very difficult for receivers to handle as it moves away from them.

DeFalco is a 195cm player with strengths in powerful attacks and serves. His attack success rate is 50.7%, which is among the top class in the league, and he is particularly skilled at pipe attacks, with a very high success rate of 65.4% for pipes executed at almost the same tempo as an A-quick. In serving, he combines high-speed jump serves with short serves, also posting a top-class efficiency rate of 12.7% in the league.

With the Japan national team opposite, a super libero, and the USA national team, both teams are very similar when analyzing their strengths, and I am certain it will be a heated battle. It is guaranteed to be a tough match that symbolizes the SV League.
Everyone, please lend us your home-court power! Thank you for your support!

• Click here for home game information for Saturday, November 16, 2024, Regular Round Section 6 GAME 1
• Click here for home game information for Sunday, November 17, 2024, Regular Round Section 6 GAME 2

You are currently 9-1 (1st in the league). While you have been steadily accumulating wins, it seems the players are staying focused on the need to address issues after every match. How do you see the team's current situation as the head coach?

Of course, I think every player has things they need to fix, but I am very proud of how they are working hard, making fine adjustments, and putting in the practice. Being 1st in the league right now puts us in a really good position. However, our opponent this week, JTEKT STINGS Aichi, has the same record as us, so I think it is a great time to play them and it will be a very good challenge.

You have been maintaining a high attack success rate, centered around your outside hitters. How do you view the performance of your attackers and the setting from Eiro?

Lopez, who joined the team this season, is a truly fantastic player, and I think his presence has helped boost our attack efficiency. At the same time, our setter, Eiro, is doing a great job utilizing Nishida and Jeschke, and overall, his distribution is excellent. It is precisely because both the setter and the attackers are doing their jobs well that we are able to maintain such a high attack efficiency.

JTEKT STINGS Aichi is a team with a very well-rounded roster and stability in both offense and defense. Could you tell us your impression of the opponent and the keys to the match?

As I mentioned earlier, I think this is a very good time to play against them.
The reason is that they have many similarities to us, such as their outside hitters having a high success rate, but if there is a difference, I think it lies in Sekita's ball distribution.
Furthermore, since the opponent has a very strong serve, our defense will be key, specifically how well we can control the ball and keep it in play, but the most important thing is to maintain a strong mentality no matter what happens.

This weekend marks your first home game at Asue Arena Osaka. You are also expected to set a new club record for attendance. Do you have a message for the fans?

I am very happy to be a part of the history of OSAKA BLUTEON, and I am proud to be able to play in front of so many people.
Regarding this week's matches, of course, we will do our best to win, but I also want to make sure the fans enjoy themselves so that they will want to come back and watch OSAKA BLUTEON play again.
Please give us your support!

You are currently ranked 2nd in attack success rate, so you are maintaining your good form this season as well.

I think our attack efficiency has been fairly stable this season, but I don't want to focus only on that; I want to improve our serve efficiency as well. I am confident that I can raise those numbers, so I intend to prepare thoroughly in my own way.
I am always thinking about what makes my serve good when it's working and what goes wrong when it's not, and in those moments when it's not, I keep trying to change one specific thing.

I imagine you are more careful than anyone else about your conditioning, but is there anything new you are trying this season?

I'm not trying anything particularly new, but since this season is especially long, I'm being very careful to ensure I don't carry over any fatigue by getting eight hours of sleep every day and always being mindful of what I eat.

You will be facing an opponent that includes many members you fought alongside at the Paris Olympics. What do you think will be the key to breaking them down?

I think it really comes down to defense. I believe it's extremely important to execute that well and play the kind of volleyball we are capable of. Since I think JTEKT STINGS Aichi is a team similar to ours and at a similar level, there is no doubt it will be a very exciting match.
I want to always be prepared to win.

This weekend is your first home game at Asue Arena Osaka. Do you have a message for the fans?

It's not often that we get to play volleyball in front of so many spectators, and I'm truly grateful for it.
As I mentioned earlier, I think this weekend's match will be a very exciting game, so I would be happy if it becomes a catalyst for people to get hooked on the sport of "volleyball".
We are naturally playing with all our might, but I think there is also excitement within that intensity, so I hope you can see that as well. Also, while I'm sure there are fans of specific players, I would be very happy if you could take more interest in "volleyball" as a whole.
Thank you for your support!

• #11 Yuji Nishida Player Profile