Wolfdogs Nagoya

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. The club plays in SV.League, the highest volleyball league in Japan.

Wolfdogs Nagoya

Full name	Toyoda Gosei Wolfdogs Nagoya
Short name	WD Nagoya (WD名古屋)
Founded	1961; 64 years ago (1961)
Ground	ENTRIO（Inazawa, Aichi）
Head Coach	Valerio Baldovin [ja]
Captain	Kenta Takanashi (2024–25)
League	SV.League
2024–25	4th place
Website	wolfdogs.jp

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	(1992-11-27) November 27, 1992 (age 32)	1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)	Outside hitter
3	Hideomi Fukatsu	(1990-06-01) June 1, 1990 (age 35)	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)	Setter
5	Shunsuke Watanabe	(1988-04-11) April 11, 1988 (age 37)	1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)	Libero
11	Ryota Denda	(1991-07-03) July 3, 1991 (age 34)	1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)	Middle blocker
12	Taito Mizumachi	(2001-09-07) September 7, 2001 (age 23)	1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)	Outside hitter
17	Kenta Ichikawa	(1999-04-06) April 6, 1999 (age 26)	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)	Libero
18	Naozumi Kanbayashi	(1998-10-04) October 4, 1998 (age 26)	1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)	Setter
22	Jo Toyoda	(2002-11-22) November 22, 2002 (age 22)	1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)	Opposite
26	Akito Yamazaki	(1997-10-16) October 16, 1997 (age 27)	1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)	Outside hitter
TBA	Kento Miyaura	(1999-02-22) February 22, 1999 (age 26)	1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)	Opposite
TBA	Shunichiro Sato	(2000-05-17) May 17, 2000 (age 25)	2.05 m (6 ft 9 in)	Middle blocker
TBA	Norbert Huber	(1998-08-14) August 14, 1998 (age 27)	2.07 m (6 ft 9 in)	Middle blocker
TBA	Timothée Carle	(1995-11-30) November 30, 1995 (age 29)	1.95 m (6 ft 5 in)	Outside hitter
TBA	Aymen Bouguerra	(2001-11-01) November 1, 2001 (age 23)	1.98 m (6 ft 6 in)	Outside hitter
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 32)	1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)	Outside hitter
3	Hideomi Fukatsu	(1990-06-01) June 1, 1990 (age 35)	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)	Setter
5	Shunsuke Watanabe	(1988-04-11) April 11, 1988 (age 37)	1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)	Libero
6	Hirotaka Kon	(1988-03-09) March 9, 1988 (age 37)	1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)	Middle blocker
7	Tine Urnaut	(1988-09-03) September 3, 1988 (age 36)	2.00 m (6 ft 7 in)	Outside hitter
8	Dongchen Wang	(2000-06-01) June 1, 2000 (age 25)	2.05 m (6 ft 9 in)	Middle blocker
9	Kenta Takanashi	(1997-03-25) March 25, 1997 (age 28)	1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)	Outside hitter
10	Rivan Nurmulki	(1995-07-16) July 16, 1995 (age 30)	1.98 m (6 ft 6 in)	Opposite spiker
11	Ryota Denda	(1991-07-03) July 3, 1991 (age 34)	1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)	Middle blocker
11	Taito Mizumachi	(2001-09-07) September 7, 2001 (age 23)	1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)	Outside hitter
13	Takaki Koyama	(1997-11-23) November 23, 1997 (age 27)	1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)	Middle blocker
14	Nimir Abdel-Aziz	(1992-02-05) February 5, 1992 (age 33)	2.01 m (6 ft 7 in)	Opposite spiker
17	Kenta Ichikawa	(1999-04-06) April 6, 1999 (age 26)	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)	Libero
17	Naozumi Kanbayashi	(1998-10-04) October 4, 1998 (age 26)	1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)	Setter
19	Ryo Takahashi	(1998-07-30) July 30, 1998 (age 27)	1.89 m (6 ft 2 in)	Outside hitter
26	Akito Yamazaki	(1997-10-16) October 16, 1997 (age 27)	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 32)	1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)	Outside hitter
3	Bartosz Kurek (c)	(1988-08-29) August 29, 1988 (age 36)	2.05 m (6 ft 9 in)	Opposite hitter
6	Hirotaka Kon	(1988-03-09) March 9, 1988 (age 37)	1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)	Middle blocker
8	Dongchen Wang	(2000-06-01) June 1, 2000 (age 25)	2.05 m (6 ft 9 in)	Middle blocker
9	Kenta Takanashi	(1997-03-25) March 25, 1997 (age 28)	1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)	Outside hitter
11	Ryota Denda	(1991-07-03) July 3, 1991 (age 34)	1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)	Middle blocker
13	Takaki Koyama	(1997-11-23) November 23, 1997 (age 27)	1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)	Outside hitter
14	Ryosuke Tsubakiyama	(1988-07-18) July 18, 1988 (age 37)	1.96 m (6 ft 5 in)	Opposite spiker
16	Nakano Yamato	(1999-10-02) October 2, 1999 (age 25)	1.79 m (5 ft 10 in)	Setter
17	Kenta Ichikawa	(1999-04-06) April 6, 1999 (age 26)	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)	Libero
19	Ryo Takahashi	(1998-07-30) July 30, 1998 (age 27)	1.89 m (6 ft 2 in)	Outside hitter
21	Motoki Eiro	(1996-06-08) June 8, 1996 (age 29)	1.92 m (6 ft 4 in)	Setter
23	Masato Katsuoka	(1996-07-03) July 3, 1996 (age 29)	1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)	Outside Hitter
24	Tomohiro Ogawa	(1996-07-04) July 4, 1996 (age 29)	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)	Libero
26	Akito Yamazaki	(1997-10-16) October 16, 1997 (age 27)	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
	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

1. Second tier, lost promotion play-offs
2. Second tier, won promotion play-offs