Japanese coaches lead two women's clubs for first time in V-League history

For the first time since Korea’s V-League launched, two of its women’s teams  — both of which started the preseason tournament with wins — are led by Japanese head coaches.

The hires reflect a broader push by Korean clubs to learn from their Japanese counterparts, which have players with similar builds but compete at the world’s top level.

The Hwaseong IBK Altos, led by coach Masayoshi Manabe, and the Heungkuk Life Insurance Volleyball Club Pink Spiders, led by Tomoko Yoshihara, each claimed their first pool-stage victory of the KOVO Cup 2026 at the Jinnam Sports Center Park in Yeosu, Jeonnam-Gwangju, on Sunday. 

The Altos hired its coach after last season. Manabe coached the Japan women’s national team for 10 years across two stints, leading it to third place at the 2010 FIVB Women’s Volleyball World Championship, a bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics and a runner-up finish at the 2024 Volleyball Nations League.

His tenure is off to a strong start. The Altos swept the Jeonnam-Gwangju SOOP SOOPers 3-0 in the tournament, beating the team formed from the Pepper Savings Bank’s roster.

Manabe experimented throughout the match, including having middle blocker Choi Jeong-min play opposite hitter, yet still led his team to victory. The return of players Yim Myung-ok and Lee So-young, both back from injuries, also helped the SOOP SOOPers win.

In the following match, the Pink Spiders beat the Daejeon JungKwanJang Red Sparks 3-1, spreading their playing time evenly across a roster almost completely overhauled from last year to win its pool-stage opener.

Pink Spiders head coach Yoshihara, who led the team to the playoffs last season despite predictions that it would finish last, said that she was satisfied with the club’s performance.

“The players are still a bit disorganized at times, but I think that’s fine because we’re in the process of building the team,” she said.

The two coaches have slightly different styles. Manabe, a former setter, focuses on using a variety of attacking options to exploit opponents’ weaknesses. Yoshihara, a former middle blocker, prefers a strategy that allows quick attacks, even when the serve isn’t received cleanly.

The two teams met in their second pool-stage match at the Jinnam Sports Center Park on Tuesday. 

“I think that a lot of people are probably looking forward to the matchup with coach Yoshihara,” Manabe said ahead of the game. 

The Pink Spiders won 3-2.

Japanese players are also dominating the league’s Asian quota. Three of the seven Asian quota players last season were from Japan, and the same is true this year.

Jahstice Yauchi moved from the Suwon Hyundai Hillstate to the Pink Spiders. The Altos signed former Japan national team player Miwako Osanai, and the Gimcheon Korea Expressway Corporation Hi-Pass brought in veteran Mami Uchiseto.

Osanai showed off her attacking ability on Sunday, relying on her jumping power despite being relatively short at 1.75 meters (5 feet, 9 inches). Yauchi, now in her second year in Korea, performed well on both offense and defense. Uchiseto is considered the strongest defender of the three.

Four of the seven teams also employ a cumulative six Japanese assistant coaches. Hyundai Hillstate assistant coach Kiyoshi Abo previously coached Japan’s youth national teams, and GS Caltex Seoul KIXX assistant coach Shinji Kawamura has head-coaching experience with a Japanese men’s volleyball club. Including training staff, more than 10 Japanese coaches and trainers currently work in Korea.

BY KIM HYO-KYUNG [[email protected]]