Chinese Female Superleague 2022/2023 (with 2022 Chinese National Championship)

    Here are my thoughts (gonna be long and messy, but i'll try to make it have some kind of logical flow):


    Looking forward to 2023, there are several important competitions:

    • VNL (3x4+3 = 15)
    • Asian Games (5+3 = 8 )
    • OQT (7)

    And the most important competitions, AG + OQT, are back to back. I don't remember specifically which is first and which is second, but I think its AG then OQT so let's go with that.


    In terms of players, Gong Xiangyu is rumored to have some sort of surgery, and there are retirement rumors around Yuan Xinyue. The only real scoring weapons we have (or rather, Cai Bin has) are Zhu and LYY.


    Asian Games will be mostly easy teams, except probably two games, maybe three, against Japan and Thailand. I know none of us care about it but Cai Bin is gonna want to win it to save his ass. So he's going to use Zhu and LYY for that tournament. I hope Cai Bin has the sense to only use them against Japan and Thailand and not make them go 24/35 in 3 sets against some random team.


    The main event of course will be the OQT, and as far as I can tell, the following players should be selected:


    OH: Zhu, Li

    OPP: idk

    MB: Wang Yuanyuan, Xue Yizhi

    S: Yao Di

    L: Wang Mengjie


    so we're left with 2 outsides, 2 opposites, 2 middles, 1 setter, and 1 libero.


    If Gong recovers in time she has that starting opposite position. I wasn't really impressed with any of the opposites in the league (i mean, other than Vargas lol. Let's steal her from TVF -- after all they wanted Jenny). So if Gong can come back, great, but if not, then it's Zhou Yetong and someone else, maybe Miao Yiwen or Chen Peiyan again)


    nvm I forgot Du Qingqing, she should go.


    Likewise for Yuan Xinyue, if she can be back and wants to she is back, because we have only one decent opposite and there is no other middle who would hit the slide (I've never seen Xue hit a slide, and Wang plays with Tianjin and they have Vargas so she doesn't hit the slide often either), so if they don't return the national team is gonna end up with the same problem as Tianjin did 3 years ago at the club world championships when the other team just gets ready for defending against pos 4. If Yuan cannot return then I think we need to pick out more middles, I think Zhang Shiqi has potential, maybe Zheng Yixin will be useful for the slide. I seriously don't know what Gao Yi is doing with her career. She started and played the VNL finals in 2018 (or WGP 2017 -- i forgot) with 5 other gold medallists from 2016 IIRC.


    as for the other two outsides, I prefer Zhuang Yushan and Zhong Hui. I like Zhuang's fearless style. Zhu is already going to the major competitions and she's recovering from injury, I don't feel safe also including Wu Mengjie with that giant leg brace of hers.


    second libero should be Zang Qianqian but that's not happening, Cai Bin could look at Wang Simin as well. I didn't watch enough of Liaoning to comment about Xu Jianan.


    second setter I prefer to decide between Ding Xia and Xu Xiaoting. Had enough of Diao during VNL+WCH last year. There are other decent setters like Cai Yaqian, idk what happened to them.


    For VNL i think one week should be the A-team practicing and getting to know each other, since some players haven't played with each other or they're all in different leagues, but the majority should be spent to judge and select the reserves for the 14-player roster to OQTs. We'll know if we need to care about the ranking points after seeing the OQT draw. If we magically get Serbia, USA and Poland in our group thanks to FIVB chicanery then yeah, maybe we should try to keep a good ranking.

    Quote from fire_cai_bin

    Asian Games will be mostly easy teams, except probably two games, maybe three, against Japan and Thailand. I know none of us care about it but Cai Bin is gonna want to win it to save his ass. So he's going to use Zhu and LYY for that tournament. I hope Cai Bin has the sense to only use them against Japan and Thailand and not make them go 24/35 in 3 sets against some random team.

    Forgot to say that I prefer to have Wang Baoquan instead of Cai Bin. I know he has his history, but that was over a decade ago and not only his character but also the general attitude of society changed. Nevertheless, Wang Baoquan knows how to light the fire under the player's ass and get them to perform to the best of their abilities. I think he even admitted as much regarding Yuan Xinyue in the National Games finals against Jiangsu.


    That being said, he might be too busy enjoying retirement and quality time with his grandson.


    Speaking of Jiangsu, we could use someone, as much as I don't like her decisions post Tokyo she is still the 3rd best outside and the 2nd best opposite on the national team. I don't think she is interested in being any of those things though.

    Display Spoiler

    The recent schedule I seen has Olympic Qualifiers first then a few days later the Asian Games starts. The A Team would have to focus on the qualifiers and depending if China will still have quarantine during that time they might have to send a separate squad for AG. I hope this is not the case because that's just too much organizing.


    If Gong has surgery then she should sit out the whole 2023 season, rest, and comeback stronger in 2024. China doesn't need her half healed and reinjurying herself and miss Paris 2024. Gong is a key piece to the team. I also seen the rumors of Yuan retiring. ;( I hope Zhu can reignite the screaming fiery Yuan that we all know and love. Maybe even Zhuang can send her some energy.


    Xue Yizhi runs the slide. Not as often, but she can do it. Gao Yi actually looks pretty good right now, blocking included. Maybe not during the finals against Tianjin, but against Shenzhen she ran the slide attack fast and high thanks to Xu Xiaoting's setting. She needs to be tested at VNL to see if that translates to real competition though.


    I agree about Wu Mengjie and her knee brace. It's questionable to bring her in that condition.


    Second libero is up for grabs. Both Ni Feifan and Zang Qianqian barely played this season.


    Diao's staying whether we like it or not as long as Cai Bin is there. Shandong's setters were a mess this season. Their youngest setter Xie Shengyu (2004) beat out veterans Cai Yaqian and Mei Xiaohan and rightfully so especially in the 5th/6th place matches against Jiangsu.

    Quote from bumpsetspike

    The recent schedule I seen has Olympic Qualifiers first then a few days later the Asian Games starts. The A Team would have to focus on the qualifiers and depending if China will still have quarantine during that time they might have to send a separate squad for AG. I hope this is not the case because that's just too much organizing.

    oh, that's better. I prefer that schedule.


    I think quarantine will be totally dropped on Jan 8 2023 Beijing time. It was in the news for quite a while.

    There is so much conversation going on when I’m asleep....

    Then when I am ready to write...usually late afternoon here at gmt+8, everyone else have gone to bed, or haven’t woken up yet ||


    Luckily, there’s still volleySrb to talk to....he jumps out of bed when you mention ‘Shenzhen’ or ‘Jaksic’ 8|


    Seriously though, I think I’ll comment on the team selection after tonite’s final (leg 2) or, dare I say, after tomorrow’s leg 3. :huh: .... also, just a thought, could some of the above comments be replicated in China NT 2023 (not transferred) ?

    Here's the Asian schedule based on AVC and JVA websites:


    May 30 - July 16: VNL


    September 2 - 10: Asian Championship

    September 16 - 24: Olympic Qualifier

    September 28 - October 6: Asian Games


    The September events are too close to each other, and the A team can't play all of them.

    Jaksic is beautiful :)


    I can quote a few posts over to the nt thread when the league is done, sure.

    Asian Championship is now for ranking points too, right?

    MOST POPULAR AWARD: LI YINGYING

    BEST FOREIGN PLAYER: VARGAS

    BEST OUTSIDE HITTER: LI YINGYING, ZHONGHUI

    BEST MB: WANG YUANYUAN, XUE YIZHI

    BEST SETTER: YAODI

    BEST OP: ZHENG YIXIN

    BEST LIBERO: WANG WEIYI


    Quote from volleySrb

    Jaksic is not best setter? I will never watch chinese league again.

    I’m not sure but I think they have one award for foreign players and the other awards open to domestic players only. I personally feel the awards should be open to every player in the league....and who knows, they might do that next season.


    And, yes, if they were open to everyone, Jaksic would be a contender for best setter..I’m not impressed with Yao Di at all. Milojevic too has been playing well as libero...I would have preferred her, or Xu from Liaoning or Wang Mengjie from Shandong over the choice of Wang Weiyi for the best libero award. Vargas would be best opposite and possibly MVP as well. Those would be my preferences but I’m sure others have their own choices...:|

    Li Yingying is the obvious choice for the best OH in the Chinese League, but the fact that Vargas didn't get the award for the best Opposite is ridiculous :aww:


    Vargas -> Zheng Yixin


    Milojevic -> Wang Weiyi

    Quote from Olcay12

    Li Yingying is the obvious choice for the best OH in the Chinese League, but the fact that Vargas didn't get the award for the best Opposite is ridiculous :aww:


    Vargas -> Zheng Yixin


    Milojevic -> Wang Weiyi

    Vargas definitely should've been there instead of Zheng, but you know domestic favoritism.


    Milojevic was not good especially in the semifinals against Shanghai/Wang Weiyi. Milojevic did have the harder job having to work with worse passers in Klisura/Aliyeva/Bytsenko as opposed to Bricio/Zhong Hui for Wang.