BRYAN Bagunas showed the way as Oita Miyoshi beat Osaka Sakai, 25-19, 25-20, 21-25, 28-26, in the Japan V.League opener on Saturday.
Back in action after suffering an MCL injury in the final games of the previous season, Bagunas made an impressive first match in his third season in the Japan pro league, lifting Weisse Adler over the Blazers at the Nippon Steel Sakai Gymnasium.
Bagunas scored 22 points on 17 attacks, four kill blocks and an ace.
Venezuelan import Emerson Rodriguez nailed 18 kills, finishing with 19 points, while Kota Yamada adding 16 markers including four aces.
Sakai got 19 points from Canadian import Sharone Vernon-Evans. Yuki Higuchi added 12 markers on eight attacks, three blocks and an ace.
Bryan Bagunas
Meanwhile, Marck Espejo and FC Tokyo fell to defending champion Suntory Sunbirds, 24-26, 22-25, 25-23, 25-21, 11-15, at the Sky Arena.
Espejo had 12 points from 10 kills and two aces in his FC Tokyo debut.
Yuma Nagamoto scored 18 points, while Norwegian import Jonas Kvalen contributing 15 markers.
Masahiro Yanagida led Suntory with 21 points and Kenya Fujinaka added 18.
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