Who will be the next ace of SV women?
Who comes after the established aces? Instead of reputation, JVDB followed the younger generation through points, matches and sets played.
Ayane Kitamado — the numbers point to her too
2024-25 — 35 matches, 112 sets, 380 points 2025-26 — 51 matches, 192 sets, 663 points Two-season total — 1,043 points
Her role grew dramatically, yet her scoring rate held almost steady at about 3.39 to 3.45 points per set. With Stephanie Samedy leaving SAGA Hisamitsu, Kitamado’s offensive load could grow again.
Anna Uemura, Kiri Kasai and Airi Furukawa
Uemura: 537 points over two seasons, improving from about 2.59 to 2.67 points per set. Kasai: 586 points, with her rate rising from about 2.60 to 2.75. Furukawa: 523 points, including a jump from 211 to 312 last season.
All three already have meaningful SV production. Furukawa’s rise is especially striking: her matches fell from 41 to 37, yet her points per set jumped from about 1.80 to 2.60.
Amika Saeki — a name that appears when you dig deeper
2025-26 — 32 matches, 99 sets, 359 points
Saeki missed the 2024-25 season after undergoing back surgery. In her 2025-26 comeback season, she played 32 matches and 99 sets, scored 359 points, averaged about 3.63 points per set and took 965 attack attempts.
Her 359 points already stand out beside the other young scorers. Viewed in the context of returning from surgery rather than simply as a two-season total, the number carries even more weight.
The next ace may already be visible
Kitamado, Uemura, Kasai and Furukawa are already familiar prospects, and the data supports the expectation. Saeki joins them when the numbers are viewed from another angle.
With several major scorers leaving SV, 2026-27 will show who absorbs those attacks and points. JVDB will follow that change match by match.
*Points, matches and sets are calculated from official SV.League data.