FC Tokyo scored a second straight win over VC Nagano, 25-22, 25-16, 25-16, even as Marck Espejo sat out on Sunday in the Japan V.League.
Espejo was on the bench in street clothes on Sunday after playing only in the first set of their four-set win on Saturday.
Norwegian import Jonas Kvalen led FC Tokyo with 13 points from 11 attacks and two blocks. Hideyuki Kuriyama delivered 11 points including five blocks, Yanagimachi Itta scored 10 and Kuroda Yato added nine.
FC Tokyo registered its first back-to-back wins for year 2022, improving to 6-12 in eighth place.
VC Nagano is at the bottom of the standings with a 1-17 card.
Kota Ikeda led Nagano with 15 points, while Rivan Nurmukli scored 12.
Panthers stop Bagunas, Oita Miyoshi
Bryan Bagunas and Oita Miyoshi’s two-match winning streak got snapped by a vengeful Panasonic Panthers.
Bagunas was held to 10 points as Oita Miyoshi bowed to the Michal Kubiak-less Panasonic Panthers, 18-25, 21-25, 13-25, at the Panasonic Arena.
The Panthers once again missed their Polish import Kubiak but they bounced back from a five-set loss to the Weisse Adler.
Kunihiro Shimizu had 15 points, while Tatsunori Otsuka had 10 markers as Panasonic kept fourth spot with an 11-7 record.
Bagunas, who erupted with 28 points in their five-set win, was held to 8-of-19 in attacking and had an ace and a block in the straight-sets loss.
Emerson Rodriguez had 12 points for Oita Miyoshi, which dropped to 4-14 in ninth place.
FC Tokyo takes on Suntory (13-5) on Jan. 22 and 23, while Bagunas and Oita Miyoshi battles Sakai (13-5).
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