JAPAN ace spiker and crowd favorite Ran Takahashi had no choice but to sit out the remainder of the Men's Volleyball Nations League (VNL) due to a nagging knee injury.

According to Philippine National Volleyball Federation President Ramon "Tats" Suzara, Takahashi has already left the Philippines on Friday morning for Japan, where he will recover.

But even without him, Japan still proved to be dominant against the Netherlands as Ryujin Nippon recovered from its five-set loss to Canada with a 25-18, 25-19, 25-20 win at the Mall of Asia Arena on Friday, finally earning a victory in this Manila leg.

Japan team captain Yuki Ishikawa hopes that Takahashi recovers in time for the Paris Olympics.

"I hoped that he [Takahashi] would come back but it is the situation, and it's more important to have that mentality. Maybe, we were a little bit nervous, I think the guys are keeping the motivation and energy," said Ishikawa, who dropped 14 points against the Dutch.

"I hope that [Ran] will come back much better at his game and join the team. So, it's not so long before the Olympics, so [he's not in a hurry]. But keep improving step-by-step for the important games."

Japan, which sits at sixth place in the standings with a 7-3 slate, still has two more games in the final leg of the tournament — one against France on Saturday and the last one against the USA on Sunday.

"[We have] two more different games coming. But I think we're at a point where we're enjoying [playing] volleyball," said Ishikawa.

"So for us to win, [the goal] isn't like this anymore, but it's more important to enjoy the game, and enjoy the volleyball. So I keep this mindset like this [for the weekend]."

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