matchday programMatchday Program

Hello everyone. I'm analyst Kyogo Iwasawa. This week's home game is against the Hiroshima Thunders (hereinafter referred to as Hiroshima TH).

The roster composition has changed significantly since our last match, with a total of four new starting members: the setter, libero, middle blocker, and outside hitter. In particular, rookie #10 Takagi is playing an active role, supporting the team's offense with a serve reception success rate of 47.4%, which ranks 4th in the league.

The players to watch on Hiroshima TH are #4 Miwa, #11 Sakashita, and #17 Kaneko.

Miwa is a 192cm middle blocker with quick movement and excellent body balance. In spiking, he has a characteristic of hitting while drifting in the air, and he excels at scoring by hitting through the gaps in the block or using block-outs by shifting his position and timing relative to the blockers. For his serve, he uses both a hybrid serve and a floater serve from the same motion, hitting both tactical serves and serves aimed at scoring points.

Sakashita is a 181cm outside hitter who plays in place of #2 Kameho. He is a player capable of hitting fast tosses, excels at situational judgment and hitting to wide angles, and performs plays such as getting rebounds to reset the attack or hitting soft shots into open spaces on the court.

He is also a player with high defensive ability; not only does he dig spikes that get past the block, but he also reacts quickly to balls that hit the block, making him a player who contributes significantly on the defensive end.

Kaneko is a 188cm tall setter and a very aggressive player who actively goes for attacks, including setter dumps, even when the pass is disrupted. Early in the season, he used both A-quick and B-quick attacks, but he currently builds his offense primarily around A-quick attacks and is characterized by rarely setting the same attacker in succession. For his serve, he combines jump serves with floater serves hit from the same jump serve motion.

We have a total record of 21 wins and 3 losses in the SV League, and one of those three losses was against the Hiroshima Thunders about three months ago. Hiroshima TH has many players who hit powerful cross-court spikes, but our lightning rod, Yamamoto, is in those lanes, so he will surely handle them all. I believe that lightning will no longer strike from a clear blue sky.

• Click here for home game information for the 2025/2/1 (Sat) Regular Round Round 14 GAME 1
• Click here for home game information for the 2025/2/2 (Sun) Regular Round Round 14 GAME 2

You have maintained the top spot with 21 wins and 3 losses after 24 league matches.
The second half of the long league season has now begun; how are you feeling?

Our numbers are good right now, but the second half of the season will be tougher as we still have four matches against Hiroshima TH, four against Suntory, and two against WD Nagoya. The players have been playing continuously since before the Emperor's Cup, so I think they were showing signs of fatigue during the match against Toray Shizuoka the week before last. We want to work together as a team to play well in the second half and maintain a ranking of at least second place.

Even while winning consistently, there have been many moments where the outcome could have easily gone either way, and I get the impression that many of your victories were won by a very narrow margin. How does this compare to last season?

As for wins and losses, many sets are decided by a fine margin, but both sides have become more powerful, with Nishida, Jendryk, and Lopez achieving good efficiency rates. Tomita is also contributing significantly to our victories with his effective serves, stable passing, and good reception. I also feel that we are winning as a team because Nakamoto, Nishiyama, and Nishikawa perform well whenever they enter the match. Depending on the game, they may only be on the court for a point or two, but they can change the flow of the game in an instant, so the presence of our reserve players is huge.

Your opponent this weekend is the Hiroshima Thunders.
They are a formidable opponent you lost to in a full set last time; what will be the key to victory?

Although Camejo is not playing, the opponent's passing has become more stable, and their side-out balance has improved. While most of their tosses used to be high balls, their passing is now more stable, making it harder to read where and what kind of toss will be set, and harder to control. We expect a difficult match, but the key will be for us to maintain good serves, take side-outs, and play solid defense.

Provisional players Kotaro Kaneda and Keita Takeuchi, as well as specially designated player Yuto Kai, have joined the team.
What are your expectations for them?

I hope they bring new energy to the team. I have only seen them practice once so far, so I don't know them deeply yet, but there are players with height and high technical skills. I hope they settle into the team quickly and bring a breath of fresh air.

Please say a few words to the fans who are looking forward to seeing a strong OSAKA BLUTEON in the second half of the season.

It's finally time for a home game! I'm looking forward to seeing you all. I think it will be a tough match this weekend, so please give us lots of support!

You are currently on an 8-game winning streak and have maintained the top spot with 21 wins and 3 losses.
The second half of the long league season has now begun; how are you feeling?

There are more games this season, and I personally find it difficult to control my body's balance. As for the other players, we are working on our practice by separating days for pushing ourselves and days for controlling our bodies, but having run through the league this far, quite a bit of fatigue has accumulated. We had two days off last weekend and were able to rest a little, which I think was big for both me and everyone else.

Throughout the season, you have maintained good form overall in areas like attacks, blocks, serves, and receptions. Is there anything different this year, or anything you are particularly conscious of?

I don't have anything in particular, but for example, there are days when my spikes are good but my passes aren't, or conversely, days when my serves are good but something else isn't, so I make an effort to improve the play that was the worst that day for the next match.

You are currently keeping the top spot in the league, but you will face many tough opponents in the second half. What will be the key points for OSAKA BLUTEON to become even stronger from here on out?

I think if you think too much about just winning the championship, your focus on daily tasks will fade, so I think I just need to do my best in practice and work hard to level up.

This weekend you face the Hiroshima Thunders.
What are their characteristics, and what will be the key to winning?

Since Kameho is not playing right now, I think things will be significantly different compared to when we played them last time. It looks like Roque will have a high number of attacks this weekend, so I think focusing on controlling Roque will be the key.

Please give a message to the fans who are looking forward to a victory.

The season is still long, so we need your support. Please come to the venue and cheer for us!

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