Osaka Marvelous won the inaugural women’s title of Japanese volleyball’s rebranded SV.League on Saturday, defeating NEC Red Rockets Kawasaki in Game 2 of the best-of-three final.
Lise Van Hecke nailed a spike on match point as the Marvelous followed Friday’s Game 1 win with a 25-22, 25-21, 25-16 victory at Ariake Arena in Tokyo.
“We’re happy to make history as the first SV.League queens,” Marvelous captain Mizuki Tanaka said.
Osaka Marvelous players (foreground) celebrate after winning a point during the first set against NEC Red Rockets Kawasaki in Game 2 of the SV.League women’s volleyball final on May 3, 2025, at Ariake Arena in Tokyo. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
“It was a season with many new things. We had a new head coach and new players. We played many more games. I’m so glad our team effort resulted in this title.”
The Marvelous and Red Rockets finished the regular season in first and second, respectively.
Earlier Saturday, Suntory Sunbirds Osaka came back from two sets down to beat JTEKT Stings Aichi 3-2 in the opening match of the men’s final.
Suntory Sunbirds Osaka’s Dmitriy Muserskiy (facing camera) spikes the ball against JTEKT Stings Aichi in Game 1 of the SV.League men’s volleyball final at Tokyo’s Ariake Arena on May 3, 2025. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
The Sunbirds won 21-25, 21-25, 26-24, 32-30, 26-24, with 218-centimeter-tall Dmitriy Muserskiy leading the way.
Game 2 is scheduled for Monday at LaLa arena Tokyo-Bay in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture.
The Sunbirds finished the regular season in second place behind Osaka Bluteon, who lost in the semifinals to the fourth-place Stings.
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Volleyball: Osaka Bluteon run winning streak to 16 games in SV.League
AloJapan.com