Wolfdogs Nagoya

Wolfdogs Nagoya
Short nameWD Nagoya (WD名古屋)
Founded1961; 63 years ago (1961)
GroundENTRIO(Inazawa, Aichi
Head CoachItaly Valerio Baldovin
CaptainPoland Bartosz Kurek
LeagueV.League Division 1
2022–23Champion
Websitewolfdogs.jp

The Wolf Dogs Nagoya (Japanese: ウルフドッグスなごや) are a men's volleyball team based in Inazawa, Aichi, Japan. They play in the V.Premier League.

History

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The Toyota Gosei Trefuerza volleyball team was founded in 1961 by enthusiasts as a 9-player team. In 1981, they transitioned to a 6-player team and began to strengthen themselves as an in-house club. They won all their games in the 29th Industrial League in 1999 and achieved their long-awaited promotion to the V League (then V.Premier League), renaming the team "Toyota Gosei Trefuerza." In 2013, their first foreign coach, Christian Sanderson Andersson, was appointed, and he instilled a precise organizational volleyball style in the team. They placed third in the 2014/15 V.Premier League and won their first championship in the following 2015/16 season. Since then, they have grown into a powerhouse team, finishing as runners-up in the 2016/17 and 2017/18 seasons and reaching the finals for three consecutive years.[1]

From the 2019–20 season, the team changed its name to Wolf Dogs Nagoya.[2] In the most recent seasons, they placed third in the 2020/21 season and were runners-up in the 2021/22 season.

Honours

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Japan Volleyball League/V.League/V.Premier League
Winners (2): 2015–16, 2022—23
Runners-up (3): 2016–17, 2017–18, 2021–22
Kurowashiki All Japan Volleyball Championship
Winners (1): 2023
Runners-up (1): 2007
Domestic Sports Festival
Winners (1): 2012

Current roster

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The following is team roster of Season 2024-2025[3]

No. Name Date of birth Height Position
1 Shuzo Yamada (1992-11-27) November 27, 1992 (age 31) 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) Outside hitter
3 Hideomi Fukatsu (1990-06-01) June 1, 1990 (age 34) 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) Setter
5 Shunsuke Watanabe (1988-04-11) April 11, 1988 (age 36) 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in) Libero
6 Hirotaka Kon (1988-03-09) March 9, 1988 (age 36) 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) Middle blocker
7 Tine Urnaut (1988-09-03) September 3, 1988 (age 35) 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in) Outside hitter
8 Dongchen Wang (2000-06-01) June 1, 2000 (age 24) 2.05 m (6 ft 9 in) Middle blocker
9 Kenta Takanashi (1997-03-25) March 25, 1997 (age 27) 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) Outside hitter
11 Ryota Denda (1991-07-03) July 3, 1991 (age 33) 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) Middle blocker
11 Taito Mizumachi (2001-09-07) September 7, 2001 (age 22) 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) Outside hitter
13 Takaki Koyama (1997-11-23) November 23, 1997 (age 26) 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) Middle blocker
14 Nimir Abdel-Aziz (1992-02-05) February 5, 1992 (age 32) 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) Opposite spiker
17 Kenta Ichikawa (1999-04-06) April 6, 1999 (age 25) 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) Libero
17 Naozumi Kanbayashi (1998-10-04) October 4, 1998 (age 25) 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) Setter
19 Ryo Takahashi (1998-07-30) July 30, 1998 (age 25) 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in) Outside hitter
26 Akito Yamazaki (1997-10-16) October 16, 1997 (age 26) 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) Outside hitter
Head coach: Italy Valerio Baldovin

Former roster

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League results

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  Champion    Runner-up

League Position Teams Matches Won Lost
V League 1998–99 9th 10 18 2 16
1999–2000 9th 10 18 2 16
2000–01 Winners[a] 8 14 14 0
2001–02 Winners[b] 8 14 14 0
2002–03 7th 8 21 4 17
2003–04 6th 8 21 10 11
2004–05 7th 8 28 9 19
2005–06 7th 8 28 6 22
V・Premier League 2006–07 4th 8 28 16 12
2007–08 5th 8 28 14 14
2008–09 6th 8 28 12 16
2009–10 4th 8 28 16 12
2010–11 6th 8 24 9 15
2011–12 6th 8 21 7 14
2012–13 5th 8 28 12 16
2013–14 5th 8 28 15 13
2014–15 3rd 8 21 13 8
2015–16 Winners 8 21 15 6
2016–17 Runners-up 8 21 15 6
2017–18 Runners-up 8 21 15 6
V.League Division 1 2018–19 5th 10 27 19 8
2019–20 7th 10 27 10 17
2020–21 3rd 10 34 27 7
2021–22 Runners-up 10 39 28 11
2022–23 Winners 10 40 29 11
2023–24 [to be determined]
  1. ^ Second tier, lost promotion play-offs
  2. ^ Second tier, won promotion play-offs

Notable players

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 Tuomas Sammelvuo (FIN) (2005-2006)
 Igor Omrčen (CRO) (2014-2019)
 Bartosz Kurek (POL) (2021-present)

References

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  1. ^ "チームの歴史". 一般社団法人日本バレーボールリーグ機構. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  2. ^ "ウルフドッグス名古屋 オフィシャルサイト | チーム紹介". www.wolfdogs.jp. Retrieved 2022-08-20.
  3. ^ "「2024-25シーズン新体制」および新加入選手入団のお知らせ". www.wolfdogs.jp. Retrieved 2024-07-19.
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