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Volleyball: Japan Women Aiming for the Nations League Title
The Japan women's volleyball squad had the third-best record (9-3) in the preliminary phase of the 18-team tournament. Only Italy and Brazil had better records.
After finishing as the runner-up in 2024, Japan is one of eight teams that reached the 2025 FIVB Women's Volleyball Nations League finals. Matches are scheduled for Wednesday through Sunday, July 23-27 in Lodz, Poland.
The quarterfinals got underway on Wednesday with reigning tournament champion Italy taking on the United States in the early match, and Poland vs China were scheduled to meet later in the day. Thursday's quarterfinal pairings are Japan vs Turkey and Brazil vs Germany.
After a day off on Friday, the quarterfinal winners return to the court for Saturday's semifinals.
On Sunday, the 2025 champion will be crowned.
Info About the 2025 Women's Volleyball Nations League
Reigning tourney champion Italy (12-0) entered the finals as the only unbeaten team in the Volleyball Nations League's preliminary phase. Brazil had the second-best record (11-1), while Japan went 9-3.
For Japan, outside hitter Yukiko Wada was the team's top scorer (180 points) in the preliminary round. Teammate Yoshino Sato, an outside hitter, contributed 166 points. Nanami Seki made a big impact as a consistent setter in the first three weeks of the tourney. Captain Mayu Ishikawa's steady serving and quality passes have also been crucial.
Looking ahead to its showdown with Turkey in the quarterfinals, Japan's Megumi Fukazawa said her team will face a tough challenge.
"Turkey have a great team and it's not going to be easy against them," Fukazawa said, according to Volleyball World's preview of the finals. "We'll try to do our best, especially on defense, which is probably our main strength."
She added, "We'll try to play as one, as we have been doing in the VNL."
RELATED:
- Japan Women Claim Silver Medal in the Volleyball Nations League
- [JAPAN SPORTS NOTEBOOK] Japan Advances to Volleyball Nations League Final for the 1st Time
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.