A significant shift in the standings of the women’s Daido Life SV.League unfolded over the weekend as Saitama Ageo Medics claimed the top spot following their impressive performance during the sixth leg of doubleheaders. The Medics capitalized on two decisive victories against Aranmare Yamagata, while previous leaders Denso Airybees Koriyama faced setbacks during their matches against Astemo Rivale Ibaraki.
On Saturday, Ageo delivered a commanding 3-0 (25-10, 25-22, 25-19) victory over Aranmare, highlighted by standout performances from opposite Aki Meguro, who scored 13 points, and outside hitters Momoko Niida and Yuka Sato, each contributing 12 points. For the home team, Thai outside hitter Donphon Sinpho led with 14 points. The following day, Ageo secured another win in four sets, 3-1 (25-17, 25-19, 24-26, 25-23), with Serbian star Sara Lozo leading the charge with 20 points, supported by Ai Kurogo and captain Sato with 18 and 17 points, respectively. Ageo’s successful weekend propelled them to the top of the standings with an 8-2 win-loss record and 23 points, while Aranmare lingered near the bottom in 13th place with a 2-10 record.
Denso Airybees, who previously held the top position, managed to secure only one point from their trip to Astemo, resulting in a drop to second place. They now hold 18 points, five more than Ageo, but with a lower win-loss ratio of 9-3. Denso lost to Astemo on Saturday in a closely contested match, 3-1 (24-26, 25-17, 25-19, 25-23), despite Brazilian opposite Rosamaria Montibeller’s 19 points. The following day, a thrilling five-set battle concluded with Astemo winning 3-2 (20-25, 26-24, 15-25, 25-18, 15-11), where Mackenzie May and captain Rui Nonaka each scored 20 points, while Montibeller shone with 26 points for Denso. Astemo’s victories elevated them to fourth place with a record of 7-3 and 19 points.
Victorina Himeji began their weekend strong with a remarkable 3-2 (23-25, 20-25, 25-18, 25-11, 15-5) comeback win over Osaka Marvelous, led by Arisa Inoue’s match-high 20 points. However, Osaka retaliated on Sunday, winning 3-1 (25-23, 20-25, 25-22, 25-17), with Belgian opposite Lise Van Hecke contributing a match-high 22 points. As a result, Himeji dropped to fifth place, while Osaka fell to third, both teams holding a 7-3 record.
Defending champions NEC Red Rockets Kawasaki secured two victories at home against PFU BlueCats Ishikawa Kahoku, moving up to sixth place with a 6-4 record and 20 points. In their first match, outside hitter Yoshino Sato led with 21 points in a 3-1 (25-20, 25-23, 22-25, 25-17) win. The following day, Yukiko Wada’s 17 points helped secure a 3-0 (25-21, 25-19, 25-22) shutout.
Saga Hisamitsu Springs maintained their seventh position with two straight-set victories over Okayama Seagulls, who fell to 10th place. American opposite players fueled the team’s success, with one match ending in a 3-0 (25-22, 25-19, 27-25) victory and another in a similar fashion, 3-0 (25-21, 25-20, 25-19), as the Springs improved to 7-5.
Toray Arrows Shiga climbed to eighth place with a 6-6 record after defeating Gunma Green Wings in two matches. They achieved a thrilling 3-2 (21-25, 17-25, 25-17, 25-20, 17-15) comeback win on Saturday, with Italian opposite Sylvia Nwakalor scoring a match-high 25 points. The following day, they won 3-1 (27-25, 20-25, 25-20, 25-21), with Nwakalor again leading the team with 29 points. Gunma remains winless in eight matches.
Kurobe Aqua Fairies improved to 12th place with two victories over Queenseis Kariya, who dropped to 11th. Kurobe won the first match 3-0 (25-23, 25-22, 29-27) with Lena Stigrot scoring 17 points. They followed up with a thrilling 3-2 (25-22, 25-23, 21-25, 20-25, 15-12) win, where Stigrot outscored Kariya’s Kaja Grobelna 35-29 in points.
The seventh leg of the league will continue with another set of doubleheaders on November 23 and 24, featuring several key matchups including Victorina Himeji against Astemo Rivale Ibaraki and Denso Airybees Koriyama facing Saga Hisamitsu Springs.
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