AVC Boy’s U19 Champ; Japan Crown Youth Championship

Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar, April 5, 2017 – Fired-up Japan brushed off Korea in straight sets 25-17 25-18 25-19 in the action-packed final showdown to capture their first-ever title in the SMM 11th Asian Boys’ U19 Volleyball Championship at the Wunna Theikdi Indoor Stadium on Wednesday.

Japan, which overpowered China in straight sets in the semi-final encounter the previous day and powered by devastating left-hander Kenta Miyaura and hard-attacking Mahiro Saeki, took the first two sets 25-17 25-18.

Ace spiker Im Donghyeok tried to steer Korea to come back in the third set, but Japan performed incredibly to foil all their attempts. Japan won the set 25-19 and the championship. To celebrate their historic victory, the Japanese players threw head coach Hiroshi Honda into the air.

Kento Miyaura scored a team-high 19 points including 17 kills from 31 attempts and Hirohito Kashimura added 4 kill blocks, while Lim Sungjin led Korea with 10 points including 8 attack hits. Im Donghyeok added 8 kills.

“I’m very happy that my team won the match. It’s our best performance in this tournament. Every player performed well because they look fresh and never get tired easily on court. After this, we will prepare for the world meet in Bahrain and this team will, maybe, compete at the next year’s Asian Men’s U20 Championship,” Japan’s head coach Hiroshi Honda commented after the match.