It’s now a matter of finishing strong for the Ryujin Nippon.
Fan-favorite Japan is now out of the running for a coveted world championship.
After their opening-day loss to Turkiye, the Ryujin Nippon were once swept by Canada on Tuesday, 25-20, 25-23, 25-22, effectively dashing their hopes to advance beyond pool play in the 2025 FIVB Men’s World Championship in Manila.
“It was such a tough game, a tough moment for us. But this is a good experience for the future of the national team. But we have to improve, we have to grow more, and ask for more,” said outside hitter Ran Takahashi, who like his teammates, held back tears following the loss.
From struggling with receptions against Turkiye, Japan was unable to overcome Canada’s height and power advantage, which disrupted their system built on speed and fluidity. By the numbers, the Canadians registered 10 blocks as compared to Japan’s two, along with registering a bigger edge in terms of attacking (40-33).
Every moment where Japan came close was quickly answered by the Canadians, who relied on the one-two punch of Sharone Vernon-Evans and captain Nicholas Hoag.
“I think we played so aggressive today. But we lost an important point, and we cannot establish a rhythm. We needed to have a perfect game of volleyball, but we had many other issues still,” Ran continued.
It’s been a tough stretch for the Ryujin Nippon, who flew into Manila missing star opposite Yuji Nishida and lead setter Masahiro Sekita. But if there is any consolation to their disappointing run, it will be the chance to end it on a positive note.
With their World Championship hopes over, Japan will now turn its attention to also-ran Libya on Wednesday, September 19, still at the Big Dome.
“For sure, we have to be more aggressive. We just have to win. But I think these two losses are also a nice experience for the future of the Japanese national team…We’ll have to be tougher next game, but we also have to enjoy it,” Ran said.
For Ran, winning against Libya will also be their way of paying it forward to Filipino fans, who have provided a “homecourt advantage” through two games into pool play. In fact, the Big Dome turned into a vibrant sea of red during the Ryujin Nippon’s games against Turkiye and Canada.
“We played nothing special, but the Filipino fans always bring a lot of energy and support into the game. We are so happy, but I also want to show to them that we can win, and that we gave our best.”
Banner image courtesy of Volleyball World.