Sports
Sunbirds win SV.League men’s championship
Suntory Sunbirds Osaka claimed the inaugural men’s title of Japanese volleyball’s rebranded SV.League on Monday with a three-set win over JTEKT Stings Aichi in Game 2 of the best-of-three final.
The Sunbirds followed Saturday’s come-from-behind Game 1 victory with a 29-27, 25-16, 25-22 win at LaLa arena Tokyo-Bay in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture.
Suntory Sunbirds Osaka players, including Ran Takahashi (far R), celebrate winning the men’s SV.League volleyball title after beating JTEKT Stings Aichi in Game 2 of the playoff final at LaLa arena Tokyo-Bay in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture, on May 5, 2025. (Kyodo)
The Sunbirds ended the seesaw opening set with a spike by Ran Takahashi after saving three set points. The Osaka-based club kept the momentum going in the next two sets.
The SV.League was launched last year with the aim of becoming the world’s most competitive and popular volleyball league by 2030. SV.League clubs have lured many big-name players from around the world.
The Sunbirds finished the regular season in second place behind Osaka Bluteon, who lost in the semifinals to the fourth-place Stings. The top six teams advanced to the playoffs.
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