TEAM COMPOSITION

 
 JPN / Japan - Team Composition

 
Team manager HAYASHI, Yoshiharu
Head coach HANZAWA, Ichiro
Assistant coach NAKADA, Kumi (Ms.)
Doctor FUKUDA, Naoko (Ms.)
Therapist / trainer KOYANAGI, Yoshio
Journalist TANAKA, Yuko (Ms.)
 
    No.   Name Lastname Shirt Name Birthdate Height Weight Spike Block Club
  C 1 Kaho MARUTA MARUTA 16.02.1994 166 59 276 267 Kyusyu Bunka Gakuen HS
  2   Yui ASAHI ASAHI 13.06.1994 173 66 297 285 University of Tsukuba
  3 Natsuko TSUJIMURA TSUJIMURA 02.07.1994 172 66 290 270 Nippon Sport Science Univ.
  4   Asuka NOMURA NOMURA 23.07.1994 180 64 304 294 Toray Arrows
  5 Aya HORIE HORIE 16.12.1994 174 68 290 266 Denso Airybees
  6   Saya KANEDA KANEDA 25.12.1994 164 59 278 268 Sundai Gakuen HS
  7 Kasumi NAKAYA NAKAYA 08.10.1994 176 68 290 280 Nippon Sport Science Univ.
  8   Nozomi ITO ITO 16.02.1995 177 63 303 287 Kyusyu Bunka Gakuen HS
  9 Sakura DOI DOI 28.03.1995 177 65 292 285 University of Tsukuba
  10   Mana NAKAMURA NAKAMURA 26.08.1994 170 66 280 272 Numata HS
  11 Honoka KOBAYASHI KOBAYASHI 18.05.1994 176 70 285 271 Tachibana HS
  12   Tomoko TAKAHASHI TAKAHASHI 31.03.1994 180 67 294 286 Hachioji Jissen HS
  13 Rina HIRAYAMA HIRAYAMA 09.05.1994 170 55 290 280 Bunkyo Gakuin Univ. Girls' HS
  14   Natsuko KOZASA KOZASA 17.06.1994 175 65 280 272 Shimokitazawa Seitoku HS
  15 Sakiko KATSUMI KATSUMI 05.09.1994 170 65 277 268 Sundai HS
  16   Kasumi MURAKAMI MURAKAMI 14.03.1994 182 74 289 280 Takahashi Nisshin HS
  17 Yuka SATO SATO 26.08.1994 180 64 283 270 Seiei HS
  18   Anna OGAWA OGAWA 06.10.1995 179 61 292 280 Shujitu HS
 C=Captain  L=Libero
 
Team profile
The Japanese youth girls’ team has been one of the leading teams in the world for a long time and are two-time FIVB Volleyball Girls’ Youth world champions in 1995 and 1999.
 
In 2008, the Japanese Youth Girls National team won the 7th Asian Youth Girls Championship held in Manila, Philippines but it will not be easy to win the World Championship.
 
The key players for Japan are from the top of the Japan’s high-schools teams. As their school study must take preference, the team gather and practice together only during weekends and long holidays such as summer and winter.
 
Japan is a well-balanced team in terms of defence and offence. There are some short players in the team who have speed and accuracy skills to compensate.
Coach profile
Ichiro Hanzawa, 53, is an enthusiastic volleyball coach. Hanzawa was first involved in volleyball in 1970 at the age of 12 when he played with his friends in elementary school and continued playing volleyball at high school.

After graduating from university and taking up teaching at the junior high school, Hanzawa firstly started coaching for girls’ or women’s volleyball and then achieved great success in the local junior high school championships.

In 2009, Hanzawa debuted, as assistant coach of the Japanese junior women’s team, under coach Yoshiki Ogawa, a very experienced volleyball coach, at the 2009 Women’s Junior World Championship held in Thailand and placed fifth, before helping them to become champions at the 2010 Asian Youth Girls’ Championship.

After this achievement, Hanzawa was appointed as coach of the team, and his motto is to play each match steady and develop one by one.