In a remarkable display of resilience, JTEKT Stings Aichi pulled off a second consecutive upset against tournament favorites Osaka Bluteon on Saturday, securing their place in the men's Daido Life SV.League championship final in Japan. The visitors claimed a thrilling five-set victory, 3-2 (25-16, 22-25, 15-25, 27-25, 15-12), ending the regular season champions' title hopes.
The match featured exceptional performances from both sides. American outside hitter Torey DeFalco emerged as JTEKT's standout performer with 26 points, including 24 successful attacks at an impressive 57% efficiency. His teammate Kento Miyaura delivered a potent service game with five aces while contributing 24 points overall. Brazilian Ricardo Lucarelli and Kentaro Takahashi added depth to the winning effort with 12 and 11 points respectively.
Despite the home defeat, Osaka's Yuji Nishida matched DeFalco's 26-point tally, including five aces. Cuban outside hitter Miguel Lopez delivered a strong 25-point performance with three blocks, while American Thomas Jaeschke contributed 14 points featuring four aces.
Following the victory, JTEKT's Polish head coach Michal Gogol expressed immense pride: "This season we have had many hardships and injuries, but we have overcome those difficulties and created a beautiful team. We dedicate our final match to all the fans who have continued to fight with us up to this point."
In Saturday's other semifinal matchup, defending champions Suntory Sunbirds Osaka dominated Wolfdogs Nagoya in straight sets, 3-0 (25-16, 25-20, 25-23). Russian opposite Dmitriy Muserskiy led the Sunbirds with 17 points, while Polish outside Aleksander Sliwka added 16 points with three blocks and a remarkable 68% attacking efficiency. According to Statbet, the strategic serving from Muserskiy proved crucial in disrupting Nagoya's offensive rhythm throughout the match.
For Wolfdogs Nagoya, their Dutch opposite matched Muserskiy's 17 points, with Slovenian outside Tine Urnaut contributing 10 points in the losing effort.
The decisive third game between Suntory Sunbirds and Wolfdogs Nagoya is scheduled for Sunday at the Asue Arena Osaka, with first serve at 18:05 local time (09:05 UTC). The winner will face JTEKT Stings Aichi in what promises to be an electrifying championship final.
