JAPAN vs DOMINICAN | HIGHLIGHTS | Women's VNL 2025. The Japanese women's volleyball team, ranked 6th in the FIVB world rankings (before the start of the match), played against the Dominican Republic, ranked 10th, on Sunday, June 8th (Japan time) and won 3-0 (25-19, 25-21, 25-9). They finished the first week of the Canadian tournament with four consecutive wins without losing a single set since the start of the tournament.
In the first set, Japan struggled with the Dominican Republic's powerful attacks and high blocks, and the game was a back-and-forth affair from the beginning to the middle. At 16-15, Sato Yoshino scored a service ace, followed by Shimamura Haruyo's broad attack, and Japan took control. At 19-17, Sato pretended to hit a back attack, but instead tossed the ball to Ishikawa Mayu for a fake set, helping Japan reach the 20-point mark. Japan continued to dominate the final stages, taking the first set 25-19.
The second set started with a service ace from Seki Nanami. It seemed like a good start, but the Dominican Republic's powerful spikes put Japan in a 10-14 lead. At 13-15, Nakagawa Tsukasa and Akimoto Misora were sent onto the court as substitutes, and Akimoto scored with spikes and blocks. Towards the end, Iwasawa Miku, who was starting for the first time in the tournament, made a great receive, and Sato's spike ended a long rally to tie the score. With that momentum, Japan took control and won the set 25-21.
In the third set, Japan gained momentum from the beginning thanks to the efforts of outside hitters such as Ishikawa, and they continued to score points smoothly with service aces from Miyabe Airi and broad attacks from Shimamura, winning the third set 25-9 and finishing with a perfect record in the Canadian tournament with a set count of 3-0.
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Video Summary
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Japan delivers a dominant performance against the Dominican Republic in the BNL 2025, securing a straight-sets victory. Through superior defensive digs, fluid net play, and precise serving, the Japanese team maintained control throughout the match, culminating in a decisive third set that highlighted their technical superiority and cohesion.
For the Japanese. Nice pick up by Barane Martinez. Switch to Gaila.
Wada. Blocked out then. Comes once more. Juggling with Airi.
And then Wada. What a great dig that is from Ariana. Good starters. What a great point.
And then off the hands. Yoshino takes it for Japan.
Oh yes. Nailed. Perfect. Gaila. Second serve rotational. Ariana. Going deep.
Wada. Perfectly placed shot. That is from Yoshino.
Good service run there for Ishikawa.
It had gone down. Have they really got that one off?
Seki takes a look. The block is there. Big chance now. Ariana. Gaila. Thank you. That'll do.
Just a nice swing. Keeping her in the groove. Wada. She can pack a punch with a serve. If you're
watching Japan for the first time. Here she is. Skims the net. Matos picks it up. Gaila would try
and put it away. But Ishikawa wise to that. There's a lot of Dominican Republic music playing.
Whereas the Japanese were just warming up very, very quietly. The difference between fire and ice
in the warm-ups. Shimomura on the slide. And they're now three clear. Can the Dominicans put those serves
in too? Let's pass. Seki quickly onto it. That was a sudden change of attack. This is exactly what Japan have done.
And here's an interesting switch. Pena Isabel on early. Holding nicely for Ishikawa. And it's still
the Japanese captain on serve. What a great serve. Wow. Ace. That seals it. Seki, Ishikawa, Airi, Wada,
Yoshino and Shimomura. So two starting sixties. Unchanged. Here comes Seki.
And there goes the ball. And there comes the first point. Flying through the air. Wada to take off
from the service line. And arrive. Bang on cue. Well this is a great back row set. Seki. We're
watching a single player in the rally. And how they're moving and the fluidity at the net.
I highly recommend doing it.
Long way off the net. Oh, she's still done it. Wow. And there's a smile. She loves it.
You can tell when she's seeing it. Well, she's shocked by it. Inch as good as a mile, seemingly.
Garabayo keeps that in play. Chance now. Wada's very close to the net. Garabayo pops it up again.
Martinez will try to finish. Fantastic pick up by Uesawa. And she's done it again. What a rally this is.
Still can't get through. Still we go. Gaila's smiling playing that free ball. Oh, eventually.
Four hours later. What a rally on both sides of the net. And Japan are level. I couldn't
wipe the smile off my face. This was tremendous. I've heard from some fans. Oh, I didn't know you
couldn't touch the block. I didn't know you couldn't touch the net. Swing and no wonder.
Seki moves fast. Wada has to get close to the net. It's a juggle. It's a very close one. And a tip
again read by Seki. You just can't give up. Irresistible. That's high. What a great dig by
Yoshino. Gets the angle. Gets the point. Advertising board when she played it.
Heidi is there. And then Yoshino gets it down so fast. And then Yoshino is unstoppable at the
moment. And that is why she's been hailed as the next star, the successor to Kuga. Set two
was won by Japan. Can they close out set three? We're underway with Matos on serve.
Easier balls when it gets to crucial moments, but it's been so aggressive.
Kenya Isabel is on for Matos. Down 2-10 to one of the best teams in the world.
Shimomura, you're not going to fool Shimomura that quickly.
Take some wind out of your sails. Off the net by Braly Martinez. So
Tapia comes on strong, but Shimomura is up there waiting, watching.
Big load of confidence from the coach as well. She's back in the international fold and she's
proving why. It's a scramble, but they'll get there. And this is the free ball. It's got to
go over. So very much advantage, Japan. There's the slide.
But Japan demand, and now set three, it's dropped. Well, we haven't really seen any team stick with
them the entire match. And you heard Akbash mentioning earlier today.
There were 26-24, 25-20, and 25-19. There's no way at the moment that
Dominican Republic are going to go anywhere near 19. That's a lovely swing and a lovely point again, Wada.
Faithfully to Tapia. Up she goes, with a tip by Wada.
Maschino in defense. Ishikawa well off the net, but still cross-court past the block and the defense.
So deceptive. Just perfectly cushioned. Everything is just so good at Mo. When you're in the groove
like this in any sport, that has gone off the block. So they've actually reached double figures.
I was one of the teams to beat this year. Of course, they got silver last year. How do they
do it? How do they arrive on this level already? Well, the thing is, so many of them play together
in Japan because they're so honest. Was there a blocked touch? Claire Hanna's called it, and that means
it's 25-9. The Dominican Republic have imploded in this third set, and Japan continue their 100%
start to BNL 2025.
