Sports

Japan Men Capture Silver in the Volleyball Nations League

After earning a third-place finish in the same tournament in 2023, the Japan men's volleyball squad heads to Paris with a renewed sense of purpose.

Published

2 days ago

July 1, 2024

Ed Odeven

The Japan national team poses for a commemorative photo after finishing second in the 2024 FIVB Men's Volleyball Nations League on June 30 in Lodz, Poland. France defeated Japan in the final. (VOLLEYBALL WORLD)

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Japan collected the silver medal in the 2024 FIVB Men's Volleyball Nations League, dropping a 23-25, 25-18, 23-25, 23-25 decision to reigning Olympic champion France in the final in Lodz, Poland.

It was Japan's first appearance in a major men's global tourney finale since the 1977 FIVB World Cup, when it finished second in Tokyo.

In July 2023, Japan earned the bronze medal in the Men's Volleyball Nations finals, also held in Poland. And it was a clear sign that appointing French coach Philippe Blain in 2021 had begun to pay dividends.

A Month to Remember for Japan Volleyball

Meanwhile, June 2024 demonstrated that Japan is a rising power in the sport.

The Japan women's national team captured the silver medal in the VNL title match against Italy on June 23 in Bangkok.

Entering the 2024 Paris Olympics, the Japan men's and women's teams appear to be strong medal contenders.

On Sunday night, Ishikawa paced the Japan men, the world's second-ranked team, with 17 points, Nishida had 10 and opposite spiker Kento Miyaura contributed 10. Outside hitter Tatsunori Otsuka finished with nine points. Taishi Onodera had three blocks.

After dropping the first set by two points, Japan bounced back and won the second set by the same margin. Ishikawa spearheaded the runner-up's effort in the set, registering five kills. Nishida and Kentaro Takahashi had three apiece in that action-packed, 25-minute period at Atlas Arena before a crowd of 9,966 spectators. Onodera notched the final point of the set with an impressive block. (Watch match highlights on Volleyball World's YouTube channel.)

Japan Comeback Effort Falls Short

World No 4 France fired on all cylinders in the third set, getting attack points from five different players, with Kevin Tillie (four) and Yacine Louati and Nicolas Le Goff (three apiece) leading the effort.

France's outstanding play in the final continued in the title-clinching fourth set.

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Author: Ed Odeven

Find Ed on JAPAN Forward's dedicated website, SportsLook. Follow his [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.