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Japan Forward
06-05-2025
- Sport
- Japan Forward
Suntory Sunbirds Beat JTEKT Stings in the SV.League Men's Finals
The Sunbirds fended off the Stings' comeback aspirations in the best-of-three Finals, sealing their volleyball title with a win in the second match. The Suntory Sunbirds Osaka pose for a commemorative photo after winning the Championship Finals on May 5, 2025, at LaLa arena TOKYO-BAY in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture. (© The Suntory Sunbirds Aichi completed their quest to become champions of the on Monday, May 5. In the second match of the best-of-three series, the Sunbirds defeated the JTEKT Stings Aichi 29-27, 25-16, 25-22 at LaLa arena TOKYO-BAY in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture, before an announced crowd of 9,864 on Children's Day. After a marathon five-set duel lasting 3 hours and 25 minutes on Saturday, May 3 at Tokyo's Ariake Arena, Monday's showdown was wrapped up in a tidy 2 hours, 1 minute. Was there a benefit to playing such a grueling match in the title series opener over the weekend? Sunbirds outside hitter Aleksander Sliwka believes so. "It gave us the confidence that no matter what, we can win, we can come back from deficits," commented Sliwka. "We can win every set, even if we are losing. I think that … helped us prevail today in this tough moment, in this first set especially." Opposite hitter Dmitriy Muserskiy provided the explanation point on the Sunbirds' title-clinching match, executing the final attack attempt with precision. The 218-cm Muserskiy, who was born in Ukraine, had an immense presence on the frontline, pacing the Sunbirds with 17 attack points on 34 attempts on Monday. He was a seemingly omnipresent figure on his side of the net in this match (including six blocks) and also on Saturday, exemplified by 62 kill attempts and 31 points in this crucial component of the sport. Sunbirds outside hitter Ran Takahashi spikes the ball in the first set as the Stings' Go Murayama attempts a block. (©SANKEI) Teammate Ran Takahashi, a Japan national team star, also had a stellar performance in the final match, registering a whopping 15 attack points on 21 attempts. Takahashi, an outside hitter who was named Championship Finals MVP, also contributed two aces and a block. The Sunbirds captured the 2023-24 season title and headed into the rebranded top volleyball circuit as reigning champs. Sunbirds head coach Olivier Lecat (©SANKEI) After the match, Sunbirds head coach Olivier Lecat spoke about Takahashi's dynamic performance this season. The French mentor also credited Suntory's teamwork as being essential to its success. "I don't like to talk about only one [player], because this sport is really a collective sport," Lecat told reporters. "We know the quality of [the] man, everyone in the world knows the famous player he is, and he's still young. He helped us a lot this season. "We have a lot of famous players individually, but after that, we have to try to make them fit together, to believe in the same way. "I'm really proud about the job we did together. The team did a great job from the first day of practice till today, so I don't want to just extract one guy." chairman Masaaki Ogawa (left) and Sunbirds star Ran Takahashi pose with the MVP Trophy. (© The Sunbirds had the second-best overall record (36-8) during the season. Outstanding play in the playoff semifinals and finals delivered a glorious conclusion to their season. Joy was, as seen on the Sunbirds players' faces after the match, a shared emotion. Takahashi also touched upon a different feeling that highlighted the end of the team's campaign. "I feel relieved to have achieved our goal of winning the championship," the 23-year-old Kyoto native said. "This victory belongs to everyone at Suntory, and looking back on the season, I believe we were able to grow as a team and peak at the right moment for the finals ― it was the culmination of everything we've worked for." Championship Finals MVP Ran Takahashi in action during the third set. (©SANKEI) In Monday's first set, the Sunbirds maintained their poise despite being on the brink of defeat on multiple occasions (the Stings had three set points). Suntory kept coming back and capped the hard-earned victory in the opener on a Takahashi kill. "There were tough moments, especially in the first set, but we were able to keep believing and fight through together," Takahashi told reporters. "Our focus on each and every point was what ultimately led us to victory." Suntory's Alain de Armas gives his team a spark. (© Alain de Armas, a key part of Suntory's offense and defense throughout the 2024-25 season, had a combined 23 attack points in the two Championship Finals matches. The high-energy player described the overwhelming satisfaction of winning the title. "These moments when you play the whole year and then all the work that you put in is worth it," de Armas said. "It's an amazing feeling. Saturday's game was tough. I don't know how many times we were only one point from losing." Indeed, Monday's triumph didn't have as many edge-of-the-cliff moments for de Armas and his teammates. The Sunbirds' Masaki Oya sets the ball in the opening game on May 5. (©SANKEI) Suntory's Dmitriy Muserskiy (center) and his teammates congratulate one another. (© The Sunbirds took a 2-0 lead in the match with a commanding performance in Game 2. Suntory jumped out to an 8-1 lead early on, and Lecat's squad built an 11-point advantage (20-9) before closing out the set. In the third set, the Sunbirds and Stings revived the back-and-forth points pattern of the day's first set, which also mirrored the overall action on Saturday. But JTEKT, guided by Polish coach Michal Gogol, came up short in its attempt to extend the match beyond three sets. Stings opposite Kento Miyaura had a team-high 11 attack points, while Ricardo Lucarelli Souza added 10 and Torey Defalco finished with nine. "Congratulations to Suntory, they were the better team in the crucial moments today," Gogol said. "But I want to give a big credit to my team, and I am really proud from the way we came back, because losing the first match [was difficult]." He added: "I think mentally we were ready today. I think in the first set there was no problem, we were fighting good and we were ready. We believed today and that's also what I am proud of ― we believed and that's the main thing." Author: Ed Odeven Find Ed on JAPAN Forward' s dedicated website, SportsLook . Follow his [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven .
Japan Times
06-05-2025
- Sport
- Japan Times
Sunbirds and Marvelous each secure titles for Osaka in inaugural SV. League
Former Olympic champion Dmitriy Muserskiy hit the winning points as Suntory Sunbirds Osaka took the inaugural men's title in the first season of Japan's ambitious SV. League on Monday, two days after Osaka Marvelous clinched the women's title. The tall Russian made a string of blocks and spikes as the Sunbirds downed Jtekt Stings Aichi 29-27, 25-16, 25-22 to clinch the best-of-three game final series 2-0 in front of almost 10,000 fans in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture. A Muserskiy service ace put the Sunbirds two points from the title and the 2012 Olympic champion sealed the deal with a crunching finish. "I feel amazing. We won the championship. That was our goal before the season," said his Polish teammate Aleksander Sliwka, a silver medalist at the Paris Olympics. "There were a lot of tough moments during the season, but we stayed together and believed in ourselves. So, we are really happy that we accomplished our goal." The SV. League was launched last year with the aim of becoming the world's most popular volleyball league by 2030 on the back of the recruitment of big-name players from around the globe. Ran Takahashi celebrates after Suntory Sunbirds Osaka clinched the SV. League championship on Monday in Chiba Prefecture. | Jiji "I've heard that Suntory drew over 100,000 spectators this season," said Suntory's Japanese outside hitter Ran Takahashi, who was named tournament MVP. "That kind of energy is a great sign for both volleyball and the SV. League." In the women's competition, Osaka Marvelous overcame NEC Red Rockets Kawasaki 25-22, 25-21, 25-16 on Saturday to wrap up the women's final series after Game 2 at Tokyo's Ariake Arena. Osaka Marvelous players celebrate after winning the SV. League title on Monday in Tokyo. | Jiji "I think it's always an amazing feeling when you win a title and to be the first in history, it makes it only more beautiful," said Belgian opposite spiker Lise Van Hecke. "We're very happy, I'm very proud. It's been a long season, but to finish it like this, it's the best way and I think we showed everyone we deserve to be the champion."
Kyodo News
05-05-2025
- Sport
- Kyodo News
Volleyball: Sunbirds win SV.League men's championship
By Hiroki Noda, KYODO NEWS - 4 hours ago - 21:21 | Sports, All Suntory Sunbirds Osaka claimed the inaugural men's title of Japanese volleyball's rebranded on Monday with a three-set win over JTEKT Stings Aichi in Game 2 of the best-of-three final. The Sunbirds followed Saturday's come-from-behind Game 1 victory with a 29-27, 25-16, 25-22 win in front of 9,864 fans at LaLa arena Tokyo-Bay in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture. The Sunbirds ended the seesaw opening set with a spike by Ran Takahashi after saving three set points. The Osaka-based club kept the momentum going in the next two sets, with 218-centimeter-tall Dmitriy Muserskiy coming up with powerful spikes and big plays at key moments. "We gave it our all," said Takahashi, who is hugely popular among volleyball fans. "I enjoyed this great atmosphere. We played each point with passion." Asked to comment on the inaugural season, the 23-year-old outside hitter said, "It was a long season. I felt like I kept improving every match. Our goal is to become the world's No. 1 team. This title gives us confidence. I'm so happy." The was launched last year with the aim of becoming the world's most competitive and popular volleyball league by 2030. clubs have lured many big-name players from around the world. The Sunbirds finished the regular season in second place behind Osaka Bluteon, who lost in the semifinals to the fourth-place Stings. The top six teams advanced to the playoffs. Stings head coach Michal Gogol said, "They were a better team in crucial moments. But I want to give a big credit to my team. I'm really proud of the way we came back (from Game 1's tough loss)." "We lost the match by felt like we were playing good volleyball. It's about closing the match. Mentally, we were ready today." In Game 1, the Sunbirds came back from two sets down to win 21-25, 21-25, 26-24, 32-30, 26-24. They ended up winning all four deuce sets in the two-game final. "I want to congratulate both teams," Sunbirds head coach Olivier Lecat said. "It was really, really tough to play against them -- a big organization, big spirit. It was an amazing season." Related coverage: Volleyball: Osaka Marvelous win inaugural women's title
The Mainichi
05-05-2025
- Sport
- The Mainichi
Volleyball: Sunbirds win SV.League men's championship
FUNABASHI, Chiba (Kyodo) -- Suntory Sunbirds Osaka claimed the inaugural men's title of Japanese volleyball's rebranded on Monday with a three-set win over JTEKT Stings Aichi in Game 2 of the best-of-three final. The Sunbirds followed Saturday's come-from-behind Game 1 victory with a 29-27, 25-16, 25-22 win in front of 9,864 fans at LaLa arena Tokyo-Bay in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture. The Sunbirds ended the seesaw opening set with a spike by Ran Takahashi after saving three set points. The Osaka-based club kept the momentum going in the next two sets, with 218-centimeter-tall Dmitriy Muserskiy coming up with powerful spikes and big plays at key moments. "We gave it our all," said Takahashi, who is hugely popular among volleyball fans. "I enjoyed this great atmosphere. We played each point with passion." Asked to comment on the inaugural season, the 23-year-old outside hitter said, "It was a long season. I felt like I kept improving every match. Our goal is to become the world's No. 1 team. This title gives us confidence. I'm so happy." The was launched last year with the aim of becoming the world's most competitive and popular volleyball league by 2030. clubs have lured many big-name players from around the world. The Sunbirds finished the regular season in second place behind Osaka Bluteon, who lost in the semifinals to the fourth-place Stings. The top six teams advanced to the playoffs. Stings head coach Michal Gogol said, "They were a better team in crucial moments. But I want to give a big credit to my team. I'm really proud of the way we came back (from Game 1's tough loss)." "We lost the match by felt like we were playing good volleyball. It's about closing the match. Mentally, we were ready today." In Game 1, the Sunbirds came back from two sets down to win 21-25, 21-25, 26-24, 32-30, 26-24. They ended up winning all four deuce sets in the two-game final. "I want to congratulate both teams," Sunbirds head coach Olivier Lecat said. "It was really, really tough to play against them -- a big organization, big spirit. It was an amazing season."
Kyodo News
05-05-2025
- Sport
- Kyodo News
Volleyball: Sunbirds win SV.League men's championship
KYODO NEWS - 26 minutes ago - 18:50 | Sports, All Suntory Sunbirds Osaka claimed the inaugural men's title of Japanese volleyball's rebranded on Monday with a three-set win over JTEKT Stings Aichi in Game 2 of the best-of-three final. The Sunbirds followed Saturday's come-from-behind Game 1 victory with a 29-27, 25-16, 25-22 win at LaLa arena Tokyo-Bay in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture. The Sunbirds ended the seesaw opening set with a spike by Ran Takahashi after saving three set points. The Osaka-based club kept the momentum going in the next two sets. The was launched last year with the aim of becoming the world's most competitive and popular volleyball league by 2030. clubs have lured many big-name players from around the world. The Sunbirds finished the regular season in second place behind Osaka Bluteon, who lost in the semifinals to the fourth-place Stings. The top six teams advanced to the playoffs. Related coverage: Volleyball: Osaka Marvelous win inaugural women's title
