The women’s SV League opens in earnest: a 41-point scorer, decisive blocks and 24 opening-weekend standouts

Himeji’s Mingardi scored 41 points on October 17, including 40 kills. She alone accounted for 57.1% of her side’s 70 attack points.

She kept scoring throughout the five-set match, contributing seven points in the 15-point fifth set. Beyond her total for the match, she continued to receive the ball and finish in the deciding set.

Todorova contributed in attack and block through the middle. She made six blocks on October 17, then 13 kills from 22 attempts the following day for a 59.1% kill rate. She scored 32 points across the two days, adding points through the middle alongside Mingardi’s powerful hitting.

Ai Hirota scored 21 points on October 17 and 20 on October 18, reaching the 20-point mark in both of her opening matches.

She made 18 kills on each day and added three aces on October 17. Her combined 41 points made her a source of scoring for NEC Kawasaki in attack and serve.

New signing Lee Da-hyeon, a key player for South Korea, made six blocks on October 17 and four on October 18: ten in total. The fourth set against Himeji on October 18 was particularly memorable.

She broke a 20–20 tie with a block, then stopped another attack at 29–28 after the set had gone to deuce. The set ended 30–28, with Lee providing the final point too.

She also made 15 kills from 29 attempts across the two days, a 51.7% kill rate. Stopping attacks at the net and scoring through the middle, the newcomer quickly showed her strengths.

Vasconcelos scored 29 points against Okayama on October 18, making 27 kills from 59 attempts and receiving serve 45 times.

In the first set, she scored at 23–23 to bring up set point. After Okayama drew level at 24–24, she delivered again, continuing to score as the sides traded points late in the set.

Butler made 11 blocks across the two days, accounting for 73.3% of Osaka MV’s 15. On October 18, she supplied six of her side’s seven blocks.

On October 17, she also scored blocks at 20–20 and 23–23. Vasconcelos finished attacks in close contests while Butler turned opposing attacks directly into points. Both contributed late in sets.

Yemon Mya scored 25 points on October 18: 23 kills and two blocks. She accumulated points as a central figure in the attack.

Haruna Yamashita added 18 points, all from attacks. Together, the pair produced 41 kills, giving Denso substantial scoring contributions from both players.

Alongside the scoring of their foreign attacker, Japanese hitter Yamashita’s 18 kills were another feature of Denso’s opening weekend.

Day scored 52 points across the two days, including 51 kills from 99 attempts for a 51.5% kill rate.

She attempted almost 100 attacks and scored on more than half of them. Despite receiving so many balls, her kill rate stayed above 50%. Her attempts, kills and conversion rate all reflected her contribution.

Maki Yamaguchi scored three blocks. As Day accumulated points from the wing, Yamaguchi stopped attacks through the middle. The middle blocker, who has also gained experience with Japan, supported Toyama at the net.

Mami Yokota made 11 blocks across two days. While attack totals often attract attention, she reached double figures from blocks alone.

A block can turn an opponent’s attack directly into a point. Yokota did that 11 times in the opening two matches, becoming a major source of points for PFU.

Melissa Valdes made 32 kills from 63 attempts across the two days for a 50.8% kill rate. Valdes converted more than half her wing attacks while Yokota stopped opponents at the net. The pair accumulated points through both attacks and blocks.

Kaya Watanabe scored 21 points on October 18, including 19 kills from 38 attempts for a 50.0% kill rate. She contributed 32.8%, roughly a third, of her side’s 58 attack points.

Entrusted with scoring, Watanabe converted half her attacks. Alongside that offense, Mei Matsuoka’s reception also deserves attention.

Matsuoka received 37 serves across the two days with a 56.8% reception success rate. Toray Shiga’s overall attack kill rate across the two days was 44.6%. Alongside Watanabe’s points, Matsuoka’s work receiving opposition serves also featured in the opening-weekend figures.

Mikoto Shima scored 31 points across two days, including 28 kills from 66 attempts for a 42.4% kill rate. She also received 70 serves.

She received opposition serves and then attacked herself when play moved into offense. Her 70 receptions and 66 attack attempts across two matches show her involvement in both receiving serve and scoring.

Haruyo Shimamura scored 25 points across the two days. On October 18, she made 13 kills from 21 attempts for a 61.9% kill rate, contributing roughly a fifth of her side’s 66 attack points through the middle.

Alongside Shima on the wing, middle blocker Shimamura scored at a high conversion rate. Gunma also finished attacks through the center.

Lubian scored 42 points across two days: 31 kills, nine blocks and two aces.

She made four blocks on October 17 and five on October 18, scoring at the net on both days. She contributed 11 points outside her attacks, with three scoring skills making up her 42-point total.

Reika Sato made 19 kills from 35 attempts across the two days for a 54.3% kill rate. While Lubian scored in several ways, Sato converted more than half her attacks through the middle.

Kaho Wakaizumi scored 31 points across the two days, including 29 kills from 66 attempts for a 43.9% kill rate.

Amika Saeki added 27 points and received 65 serves. The pair scored 58 points combined. Wakaizumi accumulated attack points while Saeki contributed in offense alongside her reception duties.

Their scoring totals were 31 and 27. Adding Saeki’s 65 receptions shows that she combined the work of receiving serve with scoring points.

Chatchu-on scored 34 points across the two days, including 30 kills. She also received 66 serves.

While receiving a large number of opposition serves, she produced 30 attack points herself. She took on both reception and scoring duties during the opening weekend.

Shuka Kaneda scored 21 points on October 18: 19 kills and two blocks. She added points from the wing alongside Chatchu-on, reaching the 20-point mark as a Japanese attacker.

Suzumi Arimura scored 18 points on October 18: 14 kills, two blocks and two aces. She scored not only with attacks but also through blocks and serves.

Thanapan made five kills from eight attempts on October 17 for a 62.5% kill rate. She also scored blocks on both days.

Arimura scored in three ways while Thanapan turned a limited number of attempts into points through the middle. Both wing and middle players contributed for Akita Shonai on the opening weekend.

Mingardi’s 41 points and Hirota’s consecutive 20-point performances caught the eye from the opening weekend. Yokota and Butler each made 11 blocks across two days.

Meanwhile, Lee Da-hyeon’s block closed out a set 30–28 in NEC Kawasaki’s match against Himeji on October 18. In Osaka MV’s match against Okayama, Vasconcelos put away attacks at 23–23 and 24–24. Alongside sustained scoring, there were finishes delivered in tight moments.

Wing attackers and middle blockers have made their presence felt from the start of the women’s SV League. How will opponents contain these scorers in the next matches, and who else will raise their totals? There are already plenty of players to follow.