Kobe, Japan — The men’s M-tto presents SV.LEAGUE ALLSTAR GAMES 2025-26 KOBE was held in front of 9,347 fans at GLION ARENA KOBE on Sunday, February 1, with a similar mix of teams that the women’s event saw on Saturday, with players from the same club teams finding themselves on opposite sides of the net.

The captains of the two teams – Kento Miyaura of TEAM KENTO, coached by Olivier Lecat, and Taito Mizumachi of TEAM TAITO, coached by Valerio Baldovin – were both from WOLFDOGS NAGOYA. The first and third sets were played according to regular volleyball rules, while the second set was a 15-point “entertainment” set, featuring such innovations as no four-touch rule, 3-on-3 teams, 14-on-14 teams, and points using the feet only.

TEAM KENTO won the match, which combined serious volleyball with many comedic moments, 25-21, 15-11, 25-21. Yuji Nishida of OSAKA BLUTEON was named the Most Valuable Player; the Fighting Spirit Award went to Taito Mizumachi of WD NAGOYA; the Best Entertainment Award was won by Keigo Nishimoto of HIROSHIMA THUNDERS, who made the audience laugh when he faked tears of happiness in his acceptance speech; and Torey Defalco of JTEKT STINGS AICHI and Mizumachi were joint winners of the Speed King Award for the fastest service, each clocking 124.1 kph.

“This makes me so happy that all you guys got to be here and celebrate this amazing day and all these All-Stars, so thank you so much,” Defalco said on receiving his award. His feelings were shared by many of the players.

Kento Miyaura, the Captain of TEAM KENTO, commented: “It's not often that I get the chance to play with athletes from other teams, so there were a lot of new discoveries. As we communicated, I got to see different sides of people and thought, ‘Oh, so this is what they’re like.’ It was a really fun experience.”

“I'm really glad I was able to spend such a fun time with both the players and the fans,” TEAM TAITO Captain Mizumachi said. “With a record-breaking number of attendees for the All-Star Game, the cheers from the crowd were incredible. During the inclusive balloon volleyball session with the kids, we made sure everyone, including children in wheelchairs, got to hit the balloon at least once, and it was something everyone could enjoy together. When you’ve been competing for a long time, you tend to get caught up in wins and losses, but this experience reminded me of the simple reason I started in the first place – because I love volleyball.”

Mizumachi was pleased to play with French superstar setter Antoine Brizard of OSAKA B: “His sets come flying in from anywhere on the court and his baseline skill level is just incredibly high. The spikers naturally elevate their game to match his and I could really feel how that dynamic is what drives the high level of performance at OSAKA B. When Brizard landed a spike and smiled, it made me genuinely happy. There aren’t many chances to see this many star players gathered in one place; I’m just glad everyone played safely and had fun.”

Polish legend Bartosz Kurek of Tokyo Great Bears said it was an honor to be featured in the All-Star Game: “It was amazing. I think it's a great idea, a great event and I hope all the other countries follow Japan and organize such a great gathering of players and fans. It's always a pleasure to play in front of Japanese fans, but especially today, being surrounded by all the stars, all the great players. It's a big honor for me and I cherish those kinds of things, those kinds of experiences and I will remember this forever.”

He added: “I think, to be called a star in a league full of stars is a great achievement. I feel like this league has so many interesting players that can be considered among the best. It was nice to bring back the memories from the one season that we played together with Antoine (Brizard), so it's always great to play with him by my side. I just hope that the fans had as much fun as me today.”

With some strange rules to deal with, MVP Yuji Nishida was happy everyone finished without hurting themselves. “I'm glad that everyone made it through safely without any injuries,” he said. “Despite being in the middle of the season’s super busy schedule, it was great to see top players come together for this event. It was special to play with this group of players and while I can’t say I gave my absolute best performance, I was genuinely happy to see so many fans in attendance, cheering us on with team gear in a wide range of colors. The atmosphere was amazing.”

Nishida was amused by the “clown prince” of the court, American Taylor Averill of TORAY ARROWS SHIZUOKA. “As for Averill’s showmanship, it was absolutely incredible. He came out filming himself while wearing a Hello Kitty headband and from that moment on, he just went all-in on having fun. He did things no one else was doing and really lit up the crowd. He does the same with the national team as well and as a fan myself, I found myself looking forward to what Averill would do next.”

Averill admitted having a good time in Kobe. “I had fun,” he said. “I think this event is tricky because, as an athlete, it's a weekend free, a chance to recover, and yet everyone wants to put on a show. I love entertainment. I think volleyball is really about the fans, it's about inspiring the next generation, so I'm honored to be a part of hopefully leading that charge. It's something I think is so unique and to see 9,000, almost 10,000 fans here at an All-Star Game, it's unbelievable. And as someone who doesn't have professional volleyball for men back home in the U.S., I'm really grateful.”

With the teams a mix of players from different clubs, it gave Averill the chance to make new partnerships. “For me, it's an amazing chance to play with (Masahiro) Sekita (of SUNTORY SUNBIRDS OSAKA), a legendary setter for me. And just all the players here, it's so fun to connect, especially as a foreign player coming here to see what the Japanese culture and fans are really like, and players also. It's such an honor to be here and to be around these guys in their home country and to be involved as a part of that and not always competing and you get to see their personalities. It's a unique experience and it's really cool. I thought tonight was really beautiful.”

His parting thought as he left the court summed up the SV.LEAGUE: “Most competitive league, best league in the world,” he said. “I love it.”

“It was an incredibly fun and fulfilling day,” Japanese star player Ran Takahashi of SUNTORY said. “Including the morning session where we interacted with kids through inclusive balloon volleyball, I felt like I was able to do everything I had hoped for. With so many top players gathered, the level of play was obviously high. I think watching the All-Star event gives a real sense of how much the level of the SV.LEAGUE has risen.”

Matthew Anderson of NIPPON STEEL SAKAI BLAZERS, who took part in the entertainment, also had a good time. “It was fun,” he said. “It's also nice to see people coming to these kinds of events and see how excited people are to come to see us, so yeah, it was fun. Unfortunately, I could not play today but I'm coming back now.”

He said the All-Star Game was valuable for all the players. “We're the top players in the league and we were voted to come here to represent the league in the All-Star Game, and we're all professionals, so the way that we learn more and continue to get better is to talk to each other and understand each other's experiences.”

Anderson said he had previously played in an All-Star Game in Russia, “But this is a much bigger environment, much bigger event that was really fun to be a part of and I'm so grateful to be invited to this. It was awesome.”

Defalco said he enjoyed playing the changed rules in the second set, especially the rule that allowed four touches, but overall the event was about pleasing the fans. “It was cool,” he said. “I enjoyed playing. I was just going for the entertainment. It's about everybody having fun.”

SV.LEAGUE announced yesterday, following the women’s match, that the SV.LEAGUE ALL STAR GAMES 2026–27 will take place at ES CON FIELD HOKKAIDO, an indoor baseball stadium with a capacity of approximately 25,000 spectators.