JAPAN vs DOMINICAN HIGHLIGHTS Women s VNL 2025

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.