Japan vs Canada Highlights Women s VNL 2026

Let's play volleyball. It's Japan in blue, serving Canada in red and we're underway the final game of week number one of the VNL and it is Japan's blocking a solo block by Wada. Wada, the 26-year-old opposite. Champions League this year to Red Rockets. A big swing from Nya Dolly Takpum. Another good serve, another overpass but Japan saves it. Fukudomi sets, Ishikawa swings and scores. Great swing from the captain. Back and forth these two teams taking. Hilary Johnson is in the game for Canada, takes Guzan's spot. Doesn't work from Takpum. Japan a chance to finish the set and they do. Off hands. 29-27, Japan wins set number one. That was really fun to watch two teams get after it. Canada with an early lead but Japan fought all the way back. That was the final swing for Ishikawa to counter attack going off of Franson's hands and Japan. Calgary, Alberta flips the ball in play and it's shanked by Sato. Won't say that very often. Again a tough one. Sato lays out to get it. Canada trying to track this one down. Takpum will. Van Rijk sends it over. Japan free ball chance. All the attackers ready. They go with the tip. Kept alive. Trans it over. Japan comes again. Sato, dunk by Takpum. The joust. Canada slows it down and Gray speeds it up. Great effort from Takpum playing defense all over the place at left back. Line to pass that just needed to take a step forward. Not sure if she has yet. Maybe. Go a little deeper at her. And then Maglio says give it to me in the middle. Yeah, Maglio needs to have a little more influence. Sprint from well back. Picked up by Seki. So she's out. Here's Wada. And that's going to go off hands and that's how the set's going to end. It was close for a while, a long while. And then it wasn't. Japan wins at 25-20. Outside hitter position. So Alexa Gray's on the bench for now. Which is fascinating. Here's Mitrovic. Recycled by Canada. And four hits. No, double contact. Seki serve. Good take from joust. There's that middle attack. Just can't get any reward for it. And then Shimomura shuts down Maglio on the second opportunity. Johnson, Maglio, Van Rijk. Mitrovic serve. Ishikawa. She thinks she's got hands. UBC Thunderbird. Nice up from Ishikawa. And Wada doesn't get a touch. Referee says set point Canada. 26 year old who played the Red Rockets last year. Overpass. And it's a one point game. This is what Japan can do. They did it to Germany. They did it to Canada earlier in this match. And Julewicz takes it. Here's Johnson. And is there a touch? Yes, there is. Four sets are coming in Quebec. Canada stays alive in the match. Who was feeling like, well, we can try to play with them, but they have to make some mistakes. And maybe Japan did make a few mistakes. And Canada took advantage. Hilary Johnson led the set in scoring it with seven points. Her fellow British Columbia teammate Kira Van Rijk had six. Brie Franson ready to serve. Here we go. Set number four. Canada in red, Japan in blue. Here is Sattel. That's cross court. Perfect. Absolutely perfect. Look what happens. Good things happen. Day late but not a dollar short on that one. Free ball chance for Canada to take a two point lead. But they're going to track it down. Japan. Wada up to Ishikawa. Just with a great dig. Another free ball going the other way. Japan. Another great dig. This was by Johnson. Another chance for Japan. Centered up Seki. And it's going to score a huge point for Japan. She could sense it where she was on the court. One point game. Kira Van Rijk. What more can I say? Good up from Sattel. Wada. Two, two. Good. She gets better as the moments get more important. Just outside of Edmonton. The bump sets. And it's touch from Sattel. And Japan. I think I touched it. The follow through on her right hand. Hilary Johnson serving. Short. Japan's got it. Ishikawa. What a shot. Cross court. 26. Oh. Set point Canada. Trying to force a fifth. Seki bump sets it for Ishikawa. Dug up by Canada. Here's Mitrovic. Is there a touch? No touch. Set point again for Canada. There's Mitrovic. We're waiting. Didn't look like there was the fifth set. We go to 15. Japan serving Canada. Here we go. Set number five. Kira Van Rijk. And terrific again. This year. Good up from Angelita. From Georgianis. That's point number 24 for Kira Van Rijk. Kira Van Rijk still serving. Almost another ace. Oh, she pops this one up. She wants to serve again. Canada can't finish on the Johnson tip. Here's Ishikawa. That's gonna score for her team. The captain. Here's Wada. Excellent server. Johnson. No. She thinks she's got a touch. They're insisting on challenging. What a night. What a great atmosphere. There's no touch on this block. Wishful thinking. So it stays 7-6 Japan. Here she comes. Van Rijk just released a little bit of frustration. You can see 15. That is her 27th. They've just updated that number. Baker's serve is good. Ishikawa has to wait for it. Nobody ready on the Canadian side. What a clever play by the captain of Team Japan. In the fifth set and unraveling a little bit. Well, they've fought back in the fourth set from three-point deficit. Hits a rocky. Libero comes back on. Kira Van Rijk. This is her 27th serve of the game. My goodness. And it's over. Team Japan perseveres. The number four seeds in the world. Squeak past Canada in five sets.