Recap of the exciting matches from the eighth leg of the men`s SV.League.
Suntory Sunbirds Osaka celebrate during their game against Osaka Bluteon.
The Suntory Sunbirds Osaka secured the maximum six points from their critical double-header matches against Osaka Bluteon, establishing a clear lead at the top of the Japanese men`s Daido Life SV.League standings.
Osaka Derby Decides League Lead
Having previously split victories early in the season, the two Osaka powerhouse teams were closely contested until this crucial weekend. The reigning national champions, Suntory Sunbirds, defeated the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Men’s Club World Championship runners-up, Bluteon, twice, creating a significant gap between the top two contenders.
Suntory now boasts an impressive 15-1 win-loss record with 44 points, well ahead of Bluteon (13-3, 37 points). Both thrilling matches, held at the Ookini Arena Maishima, drew enthusiastic crowds of over six thousand fans.
Match Details: Suntory vs. Bluteon
Saturday: Suntory wins 3-1 (25-23, 25-21, 24-26, 25-19)
Russian opposite Dmitriy Muserskiy dominated, contributing a match-high 21 points, including four aces and two kill blocks. Ran Takahashi added 18 points (four blocks), and Egor Kliuka chipped in 15 points (two blocks). For Bluteon, substitute opposite Hiroto Nishiyama led the scoring with 16 spike points.
Sunday: Suntory wins 3-0 (25-19, 25-16, 29-27)
Muserskiy repeated his top performance, scoring 20 points, including three aces and three blocks. Takahashi contributed 11 points (three aces, one block). Bluteon`s key performers were Cuban outside Miguel Lopez (11 attack points) and opposite Yuki Nishida (10 points, including three blocks and an ace).
Suntory Sunbirds’ French head coach Olivier Lecat praised his team`s performance, commenting: “It was a successful weekend, and the fact that we were able to seize this opportunity and win two games in a row is very meaningful for the coming weeks.”
Other Key Results from the Eighth Leg
The rivalry between JTEKT Stings Aichi and Hiroshima Thunders resulted in a split, with both teams earning three points. Aichi (hosts) secured a 3-0 shutout on Saturday (25-17, 25-22, 25-18), led by French opposite Stephen Boyer (17 points, 3 blocks). Hiroshima retaliated on Sunday with a 3-0 sweep (25-19, 25-23, 25-19), powered by American outside Cooper Robinson (17 points, 4 blocks). Aichi remains third (11-5, 33 points), while Hiroshima dropped to sixth (7-9, 22 points).
Voreas Hokkaido and Toray Arrows Shizuoka split their double-header in two intense five-set matches. Toray Arrows won the first clash 3-2, fueled by Russian opposite Kirill Klets` 26 points. On Sunday, Voreas secured an epic 3-2 comeback victory (27-29, 25-23, 31-29, 23-25, 21-19). Taiwanese opposite Chang Yu-Sheng scored a remarkable 41 points for Voreas, but Toray`s Klets eclipsed even that, setting an incredible match high of 47 points. Voreas stayed seventh (5-11, 16 points), while Toray Arrows climbed two spots to eighth (3-11, 10 points).
The newly crowned Emperor’s Cup champions, Wolfdogs Nagoya, achieved two straight-set home victories against Nippon Steel Sakai Blazers. Saturday’s 3-0 win saw Taito Mizumachi and Tommaso Rinaldi both score 14 points. Sunday`s 3-0 sweep was spearheaded by opposite Kento Miyaura (15 points) and Ulrik Dahl (15 points). Nagoya improved to fourth (11-5, 31 points), while Sakai Blazers fell to the bottom (10th place, 3-13, 8 points).
Tokyo Great Bears climbed to fifth place (7-7, 20 points) after securing two four-set victories over Nagano Tridents, who dropped to ninth (3-13, 13 points). Polish star Bartosz Kurek led Tokyo to a 3-1 win on Saturday with 28 points (3 aces, 2 blocks). Outside Rikuto Goto guided Sunday`s 3-1 success with 21 points (4 blocks, 1 ace).
Upcoming Matches (Ninth Leg)
The ninth leg of regular season action offers four double headers scheduled for January 3 and 4, 2026:
- Jan 03: Suntory Sunbirds Osaka v Tokyo Great Bears
- Jan 03: JTEKT Stings Aichi v Osaka Bluteon
- Jan 03: Wolfdogs Nagoya v Nagano Tridents
- Jan 03: Nippon Steel Sakai Blazers v Toray Arrows Shizuoka
- Jan 04: Suntory Sunbirds Osaka v Tokyo Great Bears
- Jan 04: Nippon Steel Sakai Blazers v Toray Arrows Shizuoka
- Jan 04: Wolfdogs Nagoya v Nagano Tridents
- Jan 04: JTEKT Stings Aichi v Osaka Bluteon