I know it's maybe superficial, but when the camera zooms in on the MB through the net , when she has her arms in the air, barking orders out of the side of her mouth, waiting for a team mate to serve ... the four shadows I'm talking about all look like they own the team. I'm not getting that vibe from the youngin's yet.
Yan Ni is like Kim YK or Wilavan...they direct operations, calm things down and encourage their team mates. They are an important asset for the team.
I agree, there are too many competitors.
Yang was once MPV in a junior world championships, problem is that she hardly improved since then 
that was just target practice for Jiangsu 
I can download it now. It must have just been in that transition phase from live to stored.
Every dig Macau made was a show stopper. I will cherish this. I don't mind the bullying.
I will die if they show a match with real camera work so I can see faces instead of just bodies flailing about
I'd like to see some of the "big" teams in this tournament take a 25–5 smack down, two sets in a row. See how well they handle it 
Display Morethat was just target practice for Jiangsu
I can download it now. It must have just been in that transition phase from live to stored.
Every dig Macau made was a show stopper. I will cherish this. I don't mind the bullying.
I will die if they show a match with real camera work so I can see faces instead of just bodies flailing about
I'd like to see some of the "big" teams in this tournament take a 25–5 smack down, two sets in a row. See how well they handle it
I’m proud of them, they’re small in stature but they have big hearts. Two or three big blocks in the third set showed they are no pushovers. Yes, Jiangsu rested their first team but their reserves are also very skillful, especially Wu Han who was merciless in her attack.
The Top-8 list officially released!
On April 12, the 6th round of the preliminary stage of the National Games ended, and the Top-8 teams were released one round ahead of schedule, covering the teams from Jiangsu, Henan, Zhejiang, Liaoning, Tianjin, Shanghai, Guangdong and Shandong.
THE EIGHT TEAMS will compete in the FINALS in SEPTEMBER 2021 to fight for the championship. Although there is still one last round left in the preliminary stage, the results of the last match will not have a real impact on each team, at most affecting the final group ranking.
IN GROUP A, the Jiangsu team is the only one who has won 5 consecutive victories and accumulated 15 points. In each match, they swept the opponent 3-0, showing the temperament of the defending champion. The last round will be against the Henan team, and the Jiangsu team may probably send substitutes to play.
If you want to see the confrontation between Zhu Ting and Zhang Changning, it is difficult to achieve that in the preliminary stage. After all, each team will let the main players rest. The Henan and Zhejiang teams followed the Jiangsu team to advance to the finals two rounds ahead of schedule. With the strong support of Zhu Ting, Henan team entered the finals of the National Games again AFTER 12 YEARS. Zhu Ting averaged about 30 points per match, and her offensive and defensive ability has been reaching the peak state of her career. She is the biggest contributor to the Henan team's promotion to the championship.
Liaoning team is relatively slow, it took the team until the end of the 6th round to determine its advancement into the finals stage. It's mainly due to the Hebei team also had the possibility to advance to the competition theoretically, but after defeat in the 6th round, Hebei team completely missed the finals.
However, many aspects of Liaoning team are worthy of reflection, especially the surprise loss to Henan team in the second round, which indicates that they have big problems in the offensive end and the first pass defense. If they take part in the finals in such a state, the team will be difficult to get into the Top Six. Fortunately, Liu Yanhan will join Liaoning team in the finals stage, which will certainly increase the offensive firepower of the team and solve the problem of offensive end.
GROUP B is dominated by Tianjin team, which is the same as Jiangsu team as the favorite to win the National Games. However, Tianjin team did not win smoothly. In the third round, they fought hard against Shandong team and won the match narrowly in five sets. The cooperation between the main setter Yao Di and Yuan Xinyue needs to be improved, and the firepower of No. 2 position is basically zero. In addition, the passing ability of their libero, Meng Zixuan, is not so good. Tianjin team needs to strengthen both ends of the offense and defense, otherwise in facing the Jiangsu team they may have less chance. With Fujian team suffered defeat in the sixth round, both Guangdong and Shanghai teams qualified for the finals at the same time. GUANGDONG TEAM entered the final stage of the National Games again AFTER 56 YEARS, and the rising trend is very obvious.
Of course, this year's competition also have miserable teams. Beijing team, as the third place in the last National Games, directly missed the top eight in the current National Games. The team's performance plummeted, and it is difficult for them to return to the strong team in the Paris cycle. There are two teams with still zero points, which are Macau and Yunnan teams. The Macau team is a temporary one for participating in the competition, the result is not important to them. Yunnan team had a poor grouping, directly placed in the group of death, suffered six consecutive losses to end their journey in the preliminary round of the National Games.
Display MoreThe Top-8 list officially released!
On April 12, the 6th round of the preliminary stage of the National Games ended, and the Top-8 teams were released one round ahead of schedule, covering the teams from Jiangsu, Henan, Zhejiang, Liaoning, Tianjin, Shanghai, Guangdong and Shandong.
THE EIGHT TEAMS will compete in the FINALS in SEPTEMBER 2021 to fight for the championship. Although there is still one last round left in the preliminary stage, the results of the last match will not have a real impact on each team, at most affecting the final group ranking.
IN GROUP A, the Jiangsu team is the only one who has won 5 consecutive victories and accumulated 15 points. In each match, they swept the opponent 3-0, showing the temperament of the defending champion. The last round will be against the Henan team, and the Jiangsu team may probably send substitutes to play.
If you want to see the confrontation between Zhu Ting and Zhang Changning, it is difficult to achieve that in the preliminary stage. After all, each team will let the main players rest. The Henan and Zhejiang teams followed the Jiangsu team to advance to the finals two rounds ahead of schedule. With the strong support of Zhu Ting, Henan team entered the finals of the National Games again AFTER 12 YEARS. Zhu Ting averaged about 30 points per match, and her offensive and defensive ability has been reaching the peak state of her career. She is the biggest contributor to the Henan team's promotion to the championship.
Liaoning team is relatively slow, it took the team until the end of the 6th round to determine its advancement into the finals stage. It's mainly due to the Hebei team also had the possibility to advance to the competition theoretically, but after defeat in the 6th round, Hebei team completely missed the finals.
However, many aspects of Liaoning team are worthy of reflection, especially the surprise loss to Henan team in the second round, which indicates that they have big problems in the offensive end and the first pass defense. If they take part in the finals in such a state, the team will be difficult to get into the Top Six. Fortunately, Liu Yanhan will join Liaoning team in the finals stage, which will certainly increase the offensive firepower of the team and solve the problem of offensive end.
GROUP B is dominated by Tianjin team, which is the same as Jiangsu team as the favorite to win the National Games. However, Tianjin team did not win smoothly. In the third round, they fought hard against Shandong team and won the match narrowly in five sets. The cooperation between the main setter Yao Di and Yuan Xinyue needs to be improved, and the firepower of No. 2 position is basically zero. In addition, the passing ability of their libero, Meng Zixuan, is not so good. Tianjin team needs to strengthen both ends of the offense and defense, otherwise in facing the Jiangsu team they may have less chance. With Fujian team suffered defeat in the sixth round, both Guangdong and Shanghai teams qualified for the finals at the same time. GUANGDONG TEAM entered the final stage of the National Games again AFTER 56 YEARS, and the rising trend is very obvious.
Of course, this year's competition also have miserable teams. Beijing team, as the third place in the last National Games, directly missed the top eight in the current National Games. The team's performance plummeted, and it is difficult for them to return to the strong team in the Paris cycle. There are two teams with still zero points, which are Macau and Yunnan teams. The Macau team is a temporary one for participating in the competition, the result is not important to them. Yunnan team had a poor grouping, directly placed in the group of death, suffered six consecutive losses to end their journey in the preliminary round of the National Games.
IMO Jiangsu have yet to meet a strong side, and it’ll be interesting to see how they fare in September.
If you want to see the confrontation between Zhu Ting and Zhang Changning, it is difficult to achieve that in the preliminary stage.
I heard that the final 8 will be SRR and top 4 play knockouts. So we'd get to see each team play the other
Zhu Ting averaged about 30 points per match, and her offensive and defensive ability has been reaching the peak state of her career.
definitely improved defensively since 2016. I think there was a slight dip in the 2018 WChs but she's been back and will be even better at OG than in 2019. Still, I miss the 2013 days where she just jumps up high and goes straight over the top of the block: https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1pJ411L7AV
Beijing team, as the third place in the last National Games, directly missed the top eight in the current National Games.
They kept bringing in other players (remember the transfer of Ding Xia and Wang Mengjie) and their own young players got dispirited. The first thing they should replace is management/coach... add in the retirement of Zeng Chunlei and Liu Xiaotong's age and this is the expected result.
I’m proud of them, they’re small in stature but they have big hearts. Two or three big blocks in the third set showed they are no pushovers. Yes, Jiangsu rested their first team but their reserves are also very skillful, especially Wu Han who was merciless in her attack.
When Macau made those kill blocks it gave me the feels, even every dig they made seemed miraculous. Third set was a little more competitive. So fun!
I couldn't tell who was Jiangsu's main MB firing them down like she was standing on a ladder. Super quick smashes. I enjoyed that too, even though each one hurt a little 
5th Round
Group A
Jiangsu 3 : 0 Macau
Sichuan 3 : 0 Hebei
Liaoning 3 : 0 Zhejiang
Group B
Guangdong 2 : 3 Shanghai
Fujian 0 : 3 Shandong
Yunnan 0 : 3 Beijing
Hope Macau can win a set in their last match against Sichuan 
In the Tianjin vs Beijing match Chen Boya seems to have better reception/defense while Wang Yizhu has better offense. Chen also seems more suitable as opposite since her offense at that position is more effective.
Beijing needs to start developing youth. They relied on Liu Xiaotong/Zeng Chunlei for a long time and also relied on foreigners during the league that their bench doesn't have the depth to compete domestically anymore.
They kept bringing in other players (remember the transfer of Ding Xia and Wang Mengjie) and their own young players got dispirited. The first thing they should replace is management/coach... add in the retirement of Zeng Chunlei and Liu Xiaotong's age and this is the expected result.
A valid point !
In the Tianjin vs Beijing match Chen Boya seems to have better reception/defense while Wang Yizhu has better offense. Chen also seems more suitable as opposite since her offense at that position is more effective.
Beijing needs to start developing youth. They relied on Liu Xiaotong/Zeng Chunlei for a long time and also relied on foreigners during the league that their bench doesn't have the depth to compete domestically anymore.
Bringing in the foreigners made the league more competitive and 'attractive' ...when Shanghai brought in Kim, interest in the league went up three notches ! local players also benefitted by getting exposed to the power hitting of the imports. When Zhu was away in Turkey, the strongest hitter was arguably Rachel Rourke of Beijing.
But there must a balance, local players must be continually developed and where appropriate, allowed to compete. One player who could've done better is Jin Ye. She has a good reach, but her striking style is somewhat unconventional and lacking in direction. Injuries compounded her problems. She hasn't improved even after several years with Beijing and remains a backup player.
Bringing in the foreigners made the league more competitive and 'attractive' ...when Shanghai brought in Kim, interest in the league went up three notches ! local players also benefitted by getting exposed to the power hitting of the imports. When Zhu was away in Turkey, the strongest hitter was arguably Rachel Rourke of Beijing.
But there must a balance, local players must be continually developed and where appropriate, allowed to compete. One player who could've done better is Jin Ye. She has a good reach, but her striking style is somewhat unconventional and lacking in direction. Injuries compounded her problems. She hasn't improved even after several years with Beijing and remains a backup player.
The problem is not foreigners or not. eg. Turkey has a high quality league, but overrelies on foreigners and as a result their NT is not as strong as their league would suggest. In particular they are lacking in OHs/OPPs which is completely expected since those are the hot money-making positions and there tends to be foreigners going there. Italy is strong in both league and NT. Serbia and US don't really have strong leagues but have strong national teams.
The problem is the transfer system that allowed transfers of team members into final 4 teams after they were determined. So Beijing's setter and libero didn't have the opportunity to play SFs and Finals when they worked hard to get there.
The problem is not foreigners or not. eg. Turkey has a high quality league, but overrelies on foreigners and as a result their NT is not as strong as their league would suggest. In particular they are lacking in OHs/OPPs which is completely expected since those are the hot money-making positions and there tends to be foreigners going there. Italy is strong in both league and NT. Serbia and US don't really have strong leagues but have strong national teams.
The problem is the transfer system that allowed transfers of team members into final 4 teams after they were determined. So Beijing's setter and libero didn't have the opportunity to play SFs and Finals when they worked hard to get there.
As Gabi said Turkey is currently the superstar league. Any player who wants to establish themselves can certainly thrive and become even more known there, provided of course that they get into the top teams and more importantly meet the expectations. A lot of focus shifts towards foreigners if they overpower everyone else and that's basically where they build the foundation in the league so when they finally form their NT, there's a gap in the development of their own players.
The problem is the transfer system that allowed transfers of team members into final 4 teams after they were determined. So Beijing's setter and libero didn't have the opportunity to play SFs and Finals when they worked hard to get there.
Yeah I didn't like this. It's was an unfair advantage that Beijing got Ding Xia and Wang Mengjie. I'm sure if Tianjin had better choices they would picked someone better than Zheng Yixin and Du Qingqing, but they couldn't because those players probably weren't available for whatever reason.
I get that it increases the level of play for the Championship, but teams should just play with whatever roster they have from the beginning.
The problem is the transfer system that allowed transfers of team members into final 4 teams after they were determined. So Beijing's setter and libero didn't have the opportunity to play SFs and Finals when they worked hard to get there.
Yikes! What's the rationale for that system?
Yikes! What's the rationale for that system?
To make things more competitive I suppose. I wish there was a rationale though.
To make things more competitive I suppose. I wish there was a rationale though.
There could also be a national agenda behind this....
There is live action... Tianjin. Vs. Guangdong..
I’m disappointed, Guangdong offered no resistance at all with poor receiving, setting and hitting.
There could also be a national agenda behind this....
I really doubt it. That requires the CVA to be competent, and provincial teams are literally livestreaming their own team's matches. Only Tianjin is broadcasting it through TV because of its popularity.
I heard Jiangsu went with a phone or something LOL. Yes, the new phones come with decent cameras, but still.....