Wolfdogs Nagoya

Wolfdogs Nagoya
Full name	Toyoda Gosei Wolfdogs Nagoya
Short name	WD Nagoya (WD名古屋)
Founded	1961; 65 years ago
Ground	; ENTRIO（Inazawa, Aichi）
Head Coach	Valerio Baldovin [ja]
Captain	Kenta Ichikawa (2025–26)
League	SV.League
2024–25	4th place
Website	wolfdogs.jp

The Wolfdogs Nagoya (Japanese: ウルフドッグスなごや) are a men's volleyball team based in Inazawa, Aichi, Japan. The club plays in SV.League, the highest volleyball league in Japan.

History

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, Anders Kristiansson, from Sweden, 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 Wolfdogs Nagoya.^[2]

Honours

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

The following is the team roster of season 2025–26^[3]

No.	Name	Date of birth	Height	Position
1	Shuzo Yamada (c)	(1992-11-27) November 27, 1992 (age 33)	1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)	Outside hitter
2	Akira Sawada	(2002-04-24) April 24, 2002 (age 24)	2.00 m (6 ft 7 in)	Middle blocker
3	Hideomi Fukatsu	(1990-06-01) June 1, 1990 (age 36)	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)	Setter
4	Masahiro Yamazaki	(2002-09-17) September 17, 2002 (age 23)	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)	Middle blocker
5	Shunsuke Watanabe	(1988-04-11) April 11, 1988 (age 38)	1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)	Libero
6	Timothée Carle	(1995-11-30) November 30, 1995 (age 30)	1.95 m (6 ft 5 in)	Outside hitter
7	Shinnosuke Hayasaka	(2000-04-22) April 22, 2000 (age 26)	1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)	Setter
9	Aymen Bouguerra	(2001-11-01) November 1, 2001 (age 24)	1.98 m (6 ft 6 in)	Outside hitter
10	Shunichiro Sato	(2000-05-17) May 17, 2000 (age 26)	2.05 m (6 ft 9 in)	Middle blocker
11	Ryota Denda	(1991-07-03) July 3, 1991 (age 35)	1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)	Middle blocker
12	Taito Mizumachi	(2001-09-07) September 7, 2001 (age 24)	1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)	Outside hitter
15	Kento Miyaura	(1999-02-22) February 22, 1999 (age 27)	1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)	Opposite
17	Kenta Ichikawa	(1999-04-06) April 6, 1999 (age 27)	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)	Libero
18	Naozumi Kambayashi	(1998-10-04) October 4, 1998 (age 27)	1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)	Setter
22	Jo Toyoda	(2002-11-22) November 22, 2002 (age 23)	1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)	Opposite
26	Akito Yamazaki	(1997-10-16) October 16, 1997 (age 28)	1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)	Outside hitter
99	Norbert Huber	(1998-08-14) August 14, 1998 (age 27)	2.07 m (6 ft 9 in)	Middle blocker
Head coach: Valerio Baldovin

Former roster

Team roster – Season 2024/25
No.	Name	Date of birth	Height	Position
1	Shuzo Yamada	(1992-11-27) November 27, 1992 (age 33)	1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)	Outside hitter
3	Hideomi Fukatsu	(1990-06-01) June 1, 1990 (age 36)	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)	Setter
5	Shunsuke Watanabe	(1988-04-11) April 11, 1988 (age 38)	1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)	Libero
6	Hirotaka Kon	(1988-03-09) March 9, 1988 (age 38)	1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)	Middle blocker
7	Tine Urnaut	(1988-09-03) September 3, 1988 (age 37)	2.00 m (6 ft 7 in)	Outside hitter
8	Dongchen Wang	(2000-06-01) June 1, 2000 (age 26)	2.05 m (6 ft 9 in)	Middle blocker
9	Kenta Takanashi	(1997-03-25) March 25, 1997 (age 29)	1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)	Outside hitter
10	Rivan Nurmulki	(1995-07-16) July 16, 1995 (age 31)	1.98 m (6 ft 6 in)	Opposite spiker
11	Ryota Denda	(1991-07-03) July 3, 1991 (age 35)	1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)	Middle blocker
11	Taito Mizumachi	(2001-09-07) September 7, 2001 (age 24)	1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)	Outside hitter
13	Takaki Koyama	(1997-11-23) November 23, 1997 (age 28)	1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)	Middle blocker
14	Nimir Abdel-Aziz	(1992-02-05) February 5, 1992 (age 34)	2.01 m (6 ft 7 in)	Opposite spiker
17	Kenta Ichikawa	(1999-04-06) April 6, 1999 (age 27)	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)	Libero
17	Naozumi Kanbayashi	(1998-10-04) October 4, 1998 (age 27)	1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)	Setter
19	Ryo Takahashi	(1998-07-30) July 30, 1998 (age 28)	1.89 m (6 ft 2 in)	Outside hitter
26	Akito Yamazaki	(1997-10-16) October 16, 1997 (age 28)	1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)	Outside hitter
Head coach: Valerio Baldovin

Team roster – Season 2023/24
No.	Name	Date of birth	Height	Position
1	Shuzo Yamada	(1992-11-27) November 27, 1992 (age 33)	1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)	Outside hitter
3	Bartosz Kurek (c)	(1988-08-29) August 29, 1988 (age 37)	2.05 m (6 ft 9 in)	Opposite hitter
6	Hirotaka Kon	(1988-03-09) March 9, 1988 (age 38)	1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)	Middle blocker
8	Dongchen Wang	(2000-06-01) June 1, 2000 (age 26)	2.05 m (6 ft 9 in)	Middle blocker
9	Kenta Takanashi	(1997-03-25) March 25, 1997 (age 29)	1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)	Outside hitter
11	Ryota Denda	(1991-07-03) July 3, 1991 (age 35)	1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)	Middle blocker
13	Takaki Koyama	(1997-11-23) November 23, 1997 (age 28)	1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)	Outside hitter
14	Ryosuke Tsubakiyama	(1988-07-18) July 18, 1988 (age 38)	1.96 m (6 ft 5 in)	Opposite spiker
16	Nakano Yamato	(1999-10-02) October 2, 1999 (age 26)	1.79 m (5 ft 10 in)	Setter
17	Kenta Ichikawa	(1999-04-06) April 6, 1999 (age 27)	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)	Libero
19	Ryo Takahashi	(1998-07-30) July 30, 1998 (age 28)	1.89 m (6 ft 2 in)	Outside hitter
21	Motoki Eiro	(1996-06-08) June 8, 1996 (age 30)	1.92 m (6 ft 4 in)	Setter
23	Masato Katsuoka	(1996-07-03) July 3, 1996 (age 30)	1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)	Outside Hitter
24	Tomohiro Ogawa	(1996-07-04) July 4, 1996 (age 30)	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)	Libero
26	Akito Yamazaki	(1997-10-16) October 16, 1997 (age 28)	1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)	Outside hitter
Head coach: Valerio Baldovin

League results

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	5th place	10	38	25	13
SV.League	2024–25	4th place	10	49	38	11
SV.League	2025–26	Coming soon

Notable players

Tuomas Sammelvuo (FIN) (2005–2006)
Igor Omrčen (CRO) (2014–2019)
Bartosz Kurek (POL) (2021–2024)
Nimir Abdel-Aziz (NED) (2024–2025)
Kenta Takanashi (JPN) (2018–2025)

Notes

↑ Second tier, lost promotion play-offs
↑ Second tier, won promotion play-offs

References

↑ "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.
↑ "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.
↑ "PLAYERS". wolfdogs.jp (in Japanese). Wolfdogs Nagoya. Retrieved 1 July 2025.

External links

Official website (in Japanese)

[4] Second tier, lost promotion play-offs

[5] Second tier, won promotion play-offs

[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] "PLAYERS". wolfdogs.jp (in Japanese). Wolfdogs Nagoya. Retrieved 1 July 2025.

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