# 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. They play in the V.Premier League.

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

## 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 team roster of Season 2024-2025
| 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 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 36) | 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 |
| 10 | Rivan Nurmulki | (1995-07-16) July 16, 1995 (age 29) | 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) | Opposite spiker |
| 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 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 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 26) | 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) | Setter |
| 19 | Ryo Takahashi | (1998-07-30) July 30, 1998 (age 26) | 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 |||||

### Former roster

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 36) | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | Middle blocker |
| 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 |
| 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 36) | 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 25) | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | Libero |
| 19 | Ryo Takahashi | (1998-07-30) July 30, 1998 (age 26) | 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in) | Outside hitter |
| 21 | Motoki Eiro | (1996-06-08) June 8, 1996 (age 28) | 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) | Setter |
| 23 | Masato Katsuoka | (1996-07-03) July 3, 1996 (age 28) | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) | Outside Hitter |
| 24 | Tomohiro Ogawa | (1996-07-04) July 4, 1996 (age 28) | 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 | League | Position | Teams | Matches | Won | Lost |
| V League | 1998–99 | 9th | 10 | 18 | 2 | 16 |
| V League | 1999–2000 | 9th | 10 | 18 | 2 | 16 |
| V League | 2000–01 | Winners | 8 | 14 | 14 | 0 |
| V League | 2001–02 | Winners | 8 | 14 | 14 | 0 |
| V League | 2002–03 | 7th | 8 | 21 | 4 | 17 |
| V League | 2003–04 | 6th | 8 | 21 | 10 | 11 |
| V League | 2004–05 | 7th | 8 | 28 | 9 | 19 |
| V League | 2005–06 | 7th | 8 | 28 | 6 | 22 |
| V・Premier League | 2006–07 | 4th | 8 | 28 | 16 | 12 |
| V・Premier League | 2007–08 | 5th | 8 | 28 | 14 | 14 |
| V・Premier League | 2008–09 | 6th | 8 | 28 | 12 | 16 |
| V・Premier League | 2009–10 | 4th | 8 | 28 | 16 | 12 |
| V・Premier League | 2010–11 | 6th | 8 | 24 | 9 | 15 |
| V・Premier League | 2011–12 | 6th | 8 | 21 | 7 | 14 |
| V・Premier League | 2012–13 | 5th | 8 | 28 | 12 | 16 |
| V・Premier League | 2013–14 | 5th | 8 | 28 | 15 | 13 |
| V・Premier League | 2014–15 | 3rd | 8 | 21 | 13 | 8 |
| V・Premier League | 2015–16 | Winners | 8 | 21 | 15 | 6 |
| V・Premier League | 2016–17 | Runners-up | 8 | 21 | 15 | 6 |
| V・Premier League | 2017–18 | Runners-up | 8 | 21 | 15 | 6 |
| V.League Division 1 | 2018–19 | 5th | 10 | 27 | 19 | 8 |
| V.League Division 1 | 2019–20 | 7th | 10 | 27 | 10 | 17 |
| V.League Division 1 | 2020–21 | 3rd | 10 | 34 | 27 | 7 |
| V.League Division 1 | 2021–22 | Runners-up | 10 | 39 | 28 | 11 |
| V.League Division 1 | 2022–23 | Winners | 10 | 40 | 29 | 11 |
| V.League Division 1 | 2023–24 | | – | – | – | – |
* ↑ Second tier, lost promotion play-offs
* ↑ Second tier, won promotion play-offs

## Notable players

    Tuomas Sammelvuo (FIN) (2005-2006)
    Igor Omrčen (CRO) (2014-2019)
    Bartosz Kurek (POL) (2021-2024)