Sarina Koga continued to make a statement as Japan's rising star, scoring 19 points including 15 on spikes to lead Japan to a 25-15, 25-12, 25-16 triumph over Cuba on Monday in the FIVB Women's World Cup.
Playing before a crowd of 12,000 at Yoyogi National Gymnasium, the Japanese put Sunday's shocking loss to Russia behind them and rebuilt their offensive rhythm.
"I was worried about the negative affect of the loss to Russia, but the players focused on today's match well," Japan coach Masayoshi Manabe said. "But we have still issues to work on. Improving the attack from the middle is one of them."