All 14 women’s teams take the court: 14 teams × 3 players to watch through the numbers and changing roles

With Yoshino Sato and Yukiko Wada, two scorers for Japan as well as NEC, moving to Italy, who will take on their attacking workload? Ai Hirota is the first player to watch.

Last season she scored 252 points in 60 sets, converting 41.5% of 568 attack attempts. If she receives more sets this season, can she maintain that finishing rate? Follow the numbers alongside her playing time.

Nwakalor attempted 1,239 attacks last season, posting a 47.1% kill rate and 668 total points. Her workload was already substantial, but she may receive even more balls this season. How she shares the attack with Hirota and the other Japanese hitters could shape NEC’s new offense.

Among the younger players, watch Misuzu Takahashi. She recorded eight kills from 19 attempts last season, too small a sample for firm conclusions. Departures also create opportunities for new players, however. Start by watching when and how she is used.

Hirona Gonda begins the season as the new captain. Alongside the work at the net highlighted in an earlier column, watch her role in leading a changed squad. More points through the middle could also broaden the options for the wing attack.

Libero Hikaru Takeno deserves renewed attention as Miku Iwasawa takes on a new challenge in the United States. Takeno already played 175 sets last season, handling 586 serve receptions with a 60.4% success rate. How will the team organize its defense around that established contribution?

Rina Yamaji scored 307 points in 77 sets, averaging 3.99 per set. With Ai Kurogo also moving overseas, will Yamaji spend more time carrying the attack? Maintaining that scoring pace over longer playing time would be valuable.

At 170 cm, Miyu Kawazoe scored 522 points last season with a 37.5% attack kill rate. This scorer featured in an earlier column and remains worth following. In an attack that also includes foreign players, watch which situations bring the ball her way.

Kisa Okuma added 24 service aces to her 363 points. Beyond finishing attacks, her serve can limit the opponent’s attacking options and create opportunities to score.

Melissa Valdes recorded 633 points, a 46.9% attack kill rate and a 60.0% reception success rate. How will these three players share the scoring and passing work this season? Attack attempts and reception volume together reveal their respective roles.

Maki Yamaguchi leads the Toyama selections. She recorded 136 block points last season, averaging 0.82 per set. How will she bring her national-team experience back into league play? Watch her attack through the middle as well as her ability to stop opponents.

Aoi Hata is another 170 cm hitter featured alongside Kawazoe in an earlier column. She played 82 sets last season, producing 180 kills at a 37.0% rate. As new players join the attack, can she secure court time and keep adding points?

Libero Ayami Urayama posted a 67.4% reception success rate. Good passing makes Yamaguchi’s middle attack easier to use. Alongside the hitters’ numbers, watch the backcourt work that makes those attacks possible.

Airi Furukawa scored 312 points for Toray Shiga last season. How will she use the experience of making 867 attack attempts at her new club? Watch the role she earns among a strong group of hitters.

New setter Nanase Akahoshi played 137 sets last season. Osaka already has Hitomi Shiode and Mina Higashi. How will Akahoshi challenge that pairing? Beyond the starting position, watch whether she can change the attack when entering off the bench.

Mana Nishizaki endured disappointment in last season’s final. How will she use the national-team experience that followed in this season’s defense? Her reception success rate was 65.5%. Watch the next step for a libero who has experienced major matches.

Rui Nonaka scored 534 points and recorded a 62.0% reception success rate last season. She has supported the team in both scoring and passing, contributions that remain important as the attacking personnel change.

Nanami Asano arrives from Denso after recording 42 block points in 77 sets, roughly 0.55 per set. More playing time could significantly change her season totals. How much work at the net will she be entrusted with at Himeji?

Kokomi Kawamata is a 183 cm talent who has drawn attention since high school. At Himeji, surrounded by accomplished attackers, when will she have opportunities to use her height and offense? Watch the attacks entrusted to her as well as her set appearances.

New setter Roberta is Denso’s first player to watch. Brizard’s impact in the men’s game offers another reason to follow how a setter with international pedigree can transform an offense in the women’s league.

Look beyond who receives the most sets: what does she choose when the pass is off target? Watch how she uses Rosamaria and the other scorers while bringing out the middle attack.

Chika Yanagi scored 135 points in 80 sets last season, with a 40.1% attack kill rate. How will her attacking opportunities and conversion rate change alongside Roberta?

Haruna Yamashita recorded 318 points and a 58.6% reception success rate. She supports the offense with passing and scores herself. Watch how her attacking and defensive roles develop under the new distribution.

Captain Ruriko Uesaka combines her own attacking and defensive duties with leading a changed squad. Watch how the newcomers and established players fit together, with Uesaka at the center of that process.

Reika Sato posted a 49.2% attack kill rate and 43 block points last season. Efficient scoring through the middle can also help support the wing attack.

New arrival Danielle Cuttino scored 675 points last season with a 42.5% kill rate. As balls go to this new scoring option, how will Uesaka and Sato be used alongside her? Follow the changing opportunities for her teammates as well as Cuttino’s own points.

Haruyo Shimamura’s arrival is a major storyline. She played in Korea last season and continues to make her presence felt with Japan. How will a veteran with an established domestic record in attack and blocking change Gunma’s play at the net?

Mikoto Shima arrives from Osaka after scoring 228 points in 64 sets and recording a 60.0% reception success rate. Watch how much more court time a player who can contribute in scoring and passing earns at her new club.

While the veteran arrivals attract attention, young middle blocker Sunaho Yoshikawa is also worth following. Coming from Niigata University of Health and Welfare, how will she earn opportunities in the same position as Shimamura? This season offers the first steps of that challenge.

Chisato Hanaoka won last season’s Rookie of the Year award and earned her first selection for Japan. Building on 117 sets of experience, how will she organize an attack with changed personnel?

Furukawa and Okawa’s departures have altered the wing lineup. Hanaoka’s distribution and her partnerships with the new hitters will be central to watching Toray.

Kaya Watanabe joins from Himeji after posting a 64.7% reception success rate. If she keeps the pass on target, Hanaoka will have more attacking options.

Minami Kessoku scored 222 points in 84 sets. If she is entrusted with more attacks this season, can her kill rate improve too? Her partnership with Hanaoka is worth following.

Jade Elisa Light is Okayama’s first American player. What new options will she add to the established offense? Watch her role in reception as well as the attacks she is given.

New arrival Kaho Wakaizumi scored 483 points last season with a 35.7% attack kill rate. Watch how she and Light share the scoring workload with Okayama’s established hitters.

Nanaka Sahara is a 16-year-old high-school setter. How will she distribute the ball on the country’s top stage? Watch her opportunities to play, her partnerships with the attackers and the experience she gains directing the offense throughout the season.

Yuna Tokunaga posted a 61.6% reception success rate last season, while converting 24.3% of 300 attack attempts. The question this season is how much attacking production she can add to her strength in passing.

New setter Haruka Kaji played 14 sets last season. More time directing the attack at her new club would also bring more opportunities to gain experience. Watch her partnerships with the new group of hitters.

Wimonrat recorded 84 block points and 27 service aces last season. She scores through blocking and serving as well as middle attacks. How will those multiple routes to points help a team with changed personnel?

Miina Inoue made an impact through double substitutions last season and also shone with Japan. Beyond entering to score off the bench, what roles will she have this season? Watch how she responds if her court time and attacking workload increase.

Minami Nishimura was last season’s Championship MVP. The defense that helped secure the title remains a central reason to watch her. Reception volume, as well as success rate, offers a clue to the work she carries.

Aoi Takahashi’s contribution begins with her serve. She enters to serve and stays in the backcourt to receive and defend. Look beyond aces to the pressure her serve creates and her defensive work in the rallies that follow.

Hinata Shigihara gained experience with Japan this year. How will she build on her established attacking and reception record with that experience? With Cuttino leaving, her offensive role is another point to follow.

Captain Ayano Sato is the setter organizing Aichi’s new attack. Including the foreign players, whom will she set in different situations? Watch her combinations with hitters entering off the bench too.

Ayana Funane is worth following through her usage and attacking opportunities. Whether starting or coming off the bench, turning limited attempts into points can earn a larger role. Watch how much of the attack she is entrusted with this season.