Overview
- Japan was beaten 2–3 by the United States in the semifinal and then lost 1–3 to Slovenia in the third-place match on Aug. 2 in Ningbo, China, leaving the team without a medal.
- The team had swept the preliminary phase 12–0 to top its pool and then beat China in the quarterfinals before the knockout defeats.
- In the semifinal Japan led 2–1 after strong play from Ishikawa, but the U.S. mounted a comeback driven by aggressive serving and powerful attacks that produced Japan’s first loss of the tournament.
- In the third-place match Japan rallied to win the second set 28–26 with notable play from Takahashi, but Slovenia’s height and repeated strong hits carried them to consecutive set wins to close out the match.
- Coming off a 2024 runner-up finish, Japan’s collapse in Ningbo raises questions about how the team will counter taller, more powerful opponents and suggests changes to serving, blocking and match tactics may be needed before upcoming international events.