TWO of Japan volleyball’s biggest stars in Yuji Nishida and Tomohiro Yamamoto paid the Philippines a visit for the fourth time, but not as national team players this time.
The star pair are among a handful of Japan nationals playing for six-time Japanese champion club Osaka Bluteon, formerly the Panasonic Panthers.
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The former has donned the Japanese threads in the world stage as one of the game’s best spikers for the last six years before taking an indefinite hiatus after a dismal seventh-place finish in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Yamamoto, meanwhile, has been Japan’s lead floor general for half a decade now alongside his namesake Tomohiro Ogawa.
For the first time ever, the Ryujin Nippon pair took on Alas Pilipinas Men after going up against other global powerhouses in the last three editions of the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) in Manila.
While it was rather an expected win for the Osaka-based side, how the match played out did come as a genuine surprise as Alas only lost by the skin of its teeth in the first two sets before Nishida & Co. pulled away in the third, 27-29, 23-25, 12-25.
Promising Philippine team
Nishida and Yamamoto were surprisd by Alas’ promising display from the world No. 64 and Asia’s 15th-ranked side.
“The Philippine national team is promising in the game. Although not always, but there’s something good in their game,” Nishida said.
“This match is my first time with the Philippine national team. I don't know (their) players or (their) level, I don't know so we’ll give more focus to high level with our serve, block, defense, everything (else).”
Yamamoto added: “They are a great team. We had some tough moments as well but we’re very happy by the game played by everyone here.
“They aren’t too much of a physical team height-wise but they are very skilled and it was a very good game, very tough game, so it was great.”
Nishida’s indefinite hiatus with Japan’s national team makes his status for next year’s FIVB Men’s Volleyball World Championship in Manila uncertain, while Yamamoto will be back for a fifth time with the rest of Ryujin Nippon as one of a record 32-team field in the global conclave.
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