Osaka, Japan, November 15, 2006: Japan beat the Netherlands 3-1 in the play-off for places 5-8 at Osaka Municipal Central Gymnasium on Wednesday evening.
Japan, who had been hoping to win a medal here, delighted a home crowd of almost 8,000 by winning 25-21, 25-27, 25-21, 25-21.
They will now play Asian giants China for fifth place on Thursday, while the Dutch must take on Cuba for seventh spot on the last day of the event.
Japan began to pull away midway through the first set, opening up a lead of five points at 13-8 to force a second TO by the Dutch.
Dynamo Miyuki Takahashi was proving as hard to stop as ever, and with Shuka Oyama out wide and Erika Araki at the net, Japan had plenty of attacking options.
In reply, captain Ingrid Visser gave Araki as good as she got at the net with some sharp play and a series of crisp strikes, and the Netherlands pulled to within one at 13-12.
Manon Flier then began to hit her stride, and produced some imperious winners down the right side and also troubled the Japan defence with her booming jump serve.
At 15-15, the ever-alert Takahashi tipped one over to give Japan the slightest edge at the second TTO.
The blocking of Sachiko Sugiyama proved decisive in the closing stages of the first set, and Takahashi finished off the job 25-21 on Japan's second set point.
Chaine Staelens had scored a team-high six points in the first set and continued her impressive work in the second, but it was the serving of setter Riette Fledderus that took the Dutch to the first TTO with a three-point lead at 8-5.
When Shuka Oyama was on the end of a strong Dutch block and Japan fell behind 12-6, the home team called a TO, and returned for setter Yoshie Takeshita to display her blocking talents once again at these World Championships.
It was Takahashi, though, who chipped away at the Netherlands' lead with a sequence of well-placed spikes, backed up by agile defence from Takeshita and Kimura.
Flier and Debby Stam kept the orange team in front, but they could not pull clear as the tenacious Oyama battered away on the left flank.
Chaine Staelens was the dominant figure in the closing stages, and the Dutch finally clinched the second set 27-25 on their third set point when Oyama missed the target with a wild attack.
The 10-minute break between the second and third sets did not affect the Dutch at all. Flier on the right wing and Caroline Wensink, with a runaround spike on the same side, got them off to a good start before Sugiyama began to pierce the Dutch defence. Araki also made a telling contribution at the net and Japan moved ahead 11-8.
An ace from Fledderus through a careless Japanese defence and a crashing block by Ingrid Visser on Oyama meant the fragile lead changed hands again, only for Kimura to string some points together and force a Dutch TO as they trailed 19-16.
Spiking errors from the Dutch at crucial times late in the set allowed Japan to take it 25-21 and lead 2-1. Inevitably it was the reliable Takahashi who struck the decisive blow, her 21st spike of the match.
The fourth set followed a similar pattern, with Japan just holding the edge but the Dutch coming back every time. When a four-point gap appeared, 13-9, the Netherlands took their second TO of the set.
When Chaine Staelens blocked Araki on Japan's right flank to reduce the Dutch deficit to 16-14, Japan called their first TO of the fourth set. The talk worked well, as Araki returned and immediately fired home a winner to put Japan back on course.
Stam popped one over into space to take the Dutch within one point at 21-20, and a tiring Takahashi made errors on attack and serve to give the Netherlands hope.
An Araki block brought up match point at 24-21, and the same player punched home the last point for 25-21 and 3-1.
