The team's tight 2-3 defeat in the first match in the Final round by the host team, Poland, is disappointing for the Chinese volleyball fans, but such defeat may indeed prove to be necessary in the longer run, and serve as a wake-up call and strong warning to the current coaching team as well as the CVA leaders for the more important event and longer period, and to avoid some random or speculative decisions in managing the NT. Victory will give them the complacency, false rewards, the false sense of the correctness on some reckless decisions; while defeat will keep them awake and have self-introspection and make the necessary amendment to the NT build-up. Better undergoing the short-term pains than having the prolonged sufferings in the longer term!
Posts by samsara
-
-
The player list of the Chinese Women's Volleyball Team for the World Championship was announced! Zhu Ting and Yuan Xinyue's failure to be selected caused controversy
The list of Chinese women's volleyball team for the World Championship has sparked heated discussions: Zhu Ting and Yuan Xinyue are unexpectedly missing, while the return of Zhong Hui and Gao Yi have raised doubts. The selection logic of head coach Zhao Yong is a mystery, and fans are questioning the truth behind it. Can this young team shoulder the heavy responsibility of the three major competitions? (Note: by the past definition, the world's three major competitions for Chinese volleyball were OG, WCH and WC; but the World Cup was already liquidated.)
(Image translation was done by Baidu online translator)
Zhong Hui was born in Shanghai (December 1997), with a height of 1.81 meters(!), and is 28 years old this year. Zhong Hui was selected as OH for the national team during Cai Bin's coaching era, but because she was too short and her offensive strength was average, she did not gain a firm foothold in the national team.
The Middle Blocker Gao Yi was born in July 1998 in Zaozhuang, Shandong, and is 27 years old this year. Gao Yi is 1.94 meters tall and jumps well, and Lang Ping and Cai Bin have been selected her for the national team when they coached. Both Lang and Cai once trained Gao Yi as the key player, but she was not truly trained, she could not pick up the central role and only served as a substitute in the team. Although she participated in the Paris Olympics, but she had almost no chance to play.
(Zhong Hui, OH, left and Gao Yi, MB)
There is a kind of athlete who is born with very good (physical) conditions, but no matter how she is trained, she just can't play, and Gao Yi belongs to this kind of player.
When Yuan Weimin was coaching, Li Guizhi, the OH from Hebei, had better innate conditions than Lang Ping. Yuan Weimin focused on training her, but failed to bring her out, and finally had to give up on her.
(Li Guizhi is doing weighted squat training)
Even Yuan Weimin lamented: Li Guizhi has such good conditions, but she can't even be a substitute in the team. What a pity!
Zhong Hui and Gao Yi were both players eliminated by the former head coach of the national team. Zhao Yong recruited them back into the national team. I wonder what his considerations were?
Zhu Ting was born in November 1994, and is not yet 31 years old, and has played well in the Italian league and is in good shape.
Compared with Zhong Hui, Zhu Ting's overall strength is several levels higher. Why did Zhao Yong choose Zhong Hui over Zhu Ting? Many fans want to know the real reason behind it.
Yuan Xinyue, middle blocker, was born in Chongqing in December 1996, and is not yet 29 years old. Yuan Xinyue is 2.01 meters tall, with considerable advantages at the net. Her No. 2 high-point back-flying attack is sharp, with scattered landing points and high scoring efficiency.
Yuan Xinyue is a typical candidate for the core MB position, and her ability to contain the opponent in the front row is something that several MBs in the current national team do not have.
Moreover, the MB position is different from the OH. She does not need to receive the first pass (be receiver). She is only responsible for attacking and blocking. She plays for 3 rounds in the front row and is replaced by the libero when it is her turn of the back row.
Compared with the OH, the MB consumes much less physical energy, so Yuan Xinyue will have no problem holding on until 2028.
Many fans are confused: Why did Zhao Yong give up Yuan Xinyue and choose Gao Yi? What is the unknown reason behind it?
Many fans left comments, and here the author selected some excerpts as follows:
"Since they chose Zhong Hui and Gao Yi, it is unreasonable to give up Zhu Ting and Yuan Xinyue. This is definitely not a selection based on skills. There must be other reasons behind it. I hope that the fan circle culture will not be brought into the Chinese women's volleyball team."
"The current line-up of the Chinese women's volleyball team is not the strongest combination. It is okay for playing in commercial competition (i.e. VNL), but it is hard to say for playing in the world's three major competitions."
"Zhong Hui and Gao Yi were selected. Does that mean the Chinese women's volleyball team has no players left?"
In the 2025 Women's VNL, the Chinese team had 9 wins and 3 losses, and reached the VNL Final. In the individual technical rankings, Wu Mengjie, Zhuang Yushan, Wang Yuanyuan, Zhang Zixuan, and Gong Xiangyu were all ranked in the Top 10. For this reason, some netizens and fans praised the current Chinese women's volleyball team as a flower, as if the team was invincible.
There are even a few fans who hold the view that even if Li Yingying comes back, she may not have a place in the starters.
It is true that the current Chinese women's volleyball team is full of vitality and has shown certain potential and strength, but it is too early to praise them too much.
The Women's VNL is a commercial competition, and its importance and intensity cannot be compared with the world's three major competitions. This Chinese women's volleyball team has not experienced the test of the world's three major competitions, and has not played against the real world powerhouses, so its hard strength cannot be judged.
Furthermore, players such as Wu Mengjie and Zhuang Yushan are all main players in the national team for the first time. The outside world is still unfamiliar with them and there has been no in-depth research and targeted blocking and defense. Their high scores are somewhat accidental.
Just like when Wang Baoquan briefly coached the Chinese women's volleyball team, he trained Chen Liyi as the OH and abandoned Wang Yimei.
But in actual combat, Wang Baoquan realized that he had chosen the wrong person and had to re-employ Wang Yimei.
(Wang Yimei, left and Chen Liyi)
Zhao Yong is not good at speaking, but he is a coach with ideas. He has adjusted the first pass (the receiver), technical and tactical system of the Chinese women's volleyball team, and the effect is relatively good. But if he wants to lead the team to go further, the current lineup of the Chinese women's volleyball team is indeed not the strongest combination.
If Zhao Yong wants to lead the Chinese women's volleyball team to win a place in the world's three major competitions, it is necessary to optimize the team.
(Zhao Yong, the new head coach of the Chinese women's volleyball senior national team, as of April 2025)
The author agrees with the views of many netizens and fans: Head coach Zhao Yong feels that Zhu Ting is too old and will not be able to last until the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, so it is understandable that he will leave her out.
Yuan Xinyue is not yet 29 years old, and the MB position of the Chinese women's volleyball team is a huge shortcoming. There is no suitable MB player. Why didn't Zhao Yong recruit Yuan Xinyue into the team? Is Yuan Xinyue unwilling to return to the team, or does Zhao Yong have other hidden reasons?
As the head coach of the Chinese women's volleyball team, Zhao Yong must not be blinded by the results of the VNL and make irrational choices. (细品名人 'Xi Pin Ming Ren', Beijing, 2025-07-20) (Amplification is mine)
-
? What does he mean?
It's a dilemma explained in this article, #294
I guess the coaching team was quite aware of the team's dilemma: fight all out in the last match against the US, win the match then face the stronger team in the QF, that is the host team POL, which already beat the CHN squad earlier. Or, lose smartly the insignificant match (from the Chinese standing) to position the team facing the softer opponent, JPN, whereas it has a very good record. Thus, to win or to lose this last match against the US team will affect the team's chance in the Final round, and that coaching team's decision certainly will cause some criticism from the VB fans in China.
-
Chinese women's volleyball team announces roster for the FIVB World Championship
The list of 24 Chinese women's volleyball players to compete in the 2025 World Championship was announced on the July 16th. This list is consistent with the May 2022 Chinese team roster for the VNL, still led by Olympic champion and current Chinese team captain Gong Xiangyu, and includes three World Cup champions, Li Yingying, Wang Yuanyuan, and Wang Mengjie.
In addition, rising stars such as 22-year-old main attacker Zhuang Yushan and 16-year-old setter Zhang Zixuan, who have made outstanding performances in the 2025 VNL, have been shortlisted.
The 2025 Women's Volleyball World Championship will be expanded to 32 teams and will be held in Thailand from August 22 to September 7.
The group draw results show that the Chinese team, along with the Dominican Republic, Colombia, and Mexico, are grouped in Group F and will compete in the group stage in Chiang Mai. According to the rules, the top two teams in each group advance to the round of 16, and then the champion is determined through elimination rounds.
The Chinese women's volleyball team has competed in the FIVB World Championship 12 times in the past, delivering a record of two championships in 1982 and 1986. They have participated in every edition of the tournament since its inception in 1952. The last World Championships in 2022 were held in Poland and the Netherlands, and the Chinese women's volleyball team finished in 6th place.
The time of this World Championship is close to that of the VNL Finals (held in Lodz, Poland, from July 23 to 27), and the main competitors: Italy, Brazil, Poland, Türkiye, the US and other teams have also reached the VNL Finals.
Therefore, the results of the VNL Finals are of "wind vane" significance to the Chinese team that will appear on the stage of the World Championship at the end of August 2025.
At the end of the last round of the preliminary stage in Arlington leg, head coach Zhao Yong said, "It's really not easy to be proud of all the athletes and coaches."
Even without Li Yingying, the Chinese team still has strong firepower on the offensive end. However, Zhao Yong also stated that the team's technical details still need to be strengthened, especially in terms of receiving and serving, overall blocking, and defense. "In the next stage, we will spend more effort to solve them." (By Xu Yunfeng - Global Times, 2025-07-17)
-
I have no words to say about Wang Zhi-teng.
Universiade: China 1-3 Brazil
These kinds of head coach qualities: Wang Zhi-teng; Yuan Zhi; Cai Bin... should not be allowed to lead any national team, age brackets and senior. CVA and Lai Ya-wen should work harder to appoint the really competent figure as the head coach of any national team. The failed head coach is also the failure of the corresponding organization and its leadership. Repeated failed appointments indicate the short sights of the CVA... it's them to blame, not only the failed head coach. Fortunately CVA selected the right figure as the head coach of the senior NT, though it costed one cycle!
-
I've been following Yindi since she was a 16yo playing for Shanxi in a youth tournament. Even at that age she could jump quite high and able to hit quite hard. However since she started playing professionally she mostly played in the opposite position where she had limited success. The fact that she doesn't get too many accurate sets played a part in this situation. I feel Yindi was never given a chance to show her full potential... until now, at this Shanghai event. Her earlier performance could have affected her chances in the u21 this year or even the NT. Anyway, Yindi was already a winner with the 2023 u21 team, and I think none of the players from that team has been picked for this year eventhough some are still eligible.
While watching I also recalled Wang Yin-di inclusion in the previous various junior teams... and wonder why she was not included the current NT teams (U21 or even senior)? I didn't watch much so I just thought she was not good enough to be called in.
-
Is the Vietnam U21 female coach the former player of the Chinese team? Her face looks familiar but cannot remember her name.
Btw, in the final CHN U21 bt NED U21 3-1, and Shanghai won the third place beating VIE U21.
-
The Chinese women's volleyball team is willing to face Poland head-on and suffer losses. This courage is more important than shrewdness
After the Chinese women's volleyball team overturned the US team 3-2, social media exploded. Some people praise the girls for their bravery, but more people are accusing the coaching staff of "not being able to settle accounts" - this victory means the team will have to face the host Poland in the first round of the finals. If they had lost to the United States "smartly", they could have picked a soft spot for the Japanese team.
This argument sounds familiar. In the 2018 World Championship, when Lang Ping led the team to defeat Russia and help the United States advance, some people complained that she was "too sincere"; the U.S. team squeezed us out of the quarterfinals in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics by giving up some match, which made the "actuarial school" feel that they had lost even more. But the current head coach Zhao Yong still chose to face it head-on this time, and his response after the game, "Cherish every game", blocked the calculating thoughts.
The Turkish team did a good job. They lost two games in a row at the end of the tournament and successfully "adjusted" themselves to sixth place, and faced the Japanese team as they wished. This operation is like deliberately giving up a piece in chess. Although it is not a foul, it always has a sense of cunning. But the Chinese women's volleyball team did not learn this trick - Wu Mengjie's offense, Zhuang Yushan's comprehensive data, Zhang Zixuan's organizational ability, these real skills, are they just for picking opponents?
There are indeed loopholes in the competition system. The results of the preliminary competitions determine the knockout matches (the finals round). This is supposed to be fair, but it has instead given rise to the calculation of "Tian Ji's horse racing". What's more troublesome is that this trend is eroding the spirit of sports.
When netizens began to discuss "It's better to win stupidly than to lose beautifully", and when athletes had to distract themselves from studying how to lose in a cost-effective way, the competition became distorted.
Remember the 2016 Rio Olympics, when the Chinese women's volleyball team fought harder and harder after breaking out of the death group, the confidence of becoming stronger when facing strong opponents was not gained by picking opponents.
Poland is not easy to play against. As the host, they beat the Chinese team in the group competition, and now they have the advantage of time and place. But look at the performance of this young team: they won three games in a row when they were 0-2 behind the United States.
The young players born in the 2000s dared to fight till the end. This kind of sharpness is much more important than calculation in picking up the opponent in the successive round.
As the old saying goes, walking by the river often gets your shoes wet, and if you always want to take shortcuts, you may accidentally slip your foot.
就像老话说的，常在河边走总会湿鞋，总想抄近道难免崴脚。
The most touching aspect of sports competition is never cleverness, but the foolishness of knowing that there are tigers in the mountains and leaning towards them.
No matter how far they go in this finals, at least the Chinese women's volleyball team did not kneel down at the starting line. Some victories are not on the scoreboard, but on keeping the spirit of not admitting defeat. (Ganhuang Salt News, Guangdong, 2025-07-15)
-
Volleyball star coaches the national team, praised as Lang Ping's successor
Olympic champion Yang Hao recently returned to the Chinese women's volleyball team and became a member of the coaching staff.
She is now 45 years old and has no children, but she treats a pet dog as a treasure and calls herself a "poop shoveler."
The 2025 Women's VNL has just ended. The new head coach Zhao Yong led the Chinese team to play well. They had a record of 9 wins and 3 losses, scored 24 points, ranked fifth, and successfully entered the finals.
Yang Hao put in a lot of effort behind the scenes. She joined the coaching staff in April this year. Now, she is responsible for coaching young main attackers. From how to spike the ball, to the technique of pulling the ball apart, and how to serve steadily, she taught them all step by step. With veterans like her leading the team, the players are making rapid progress.
Speaking of Yang Hao, old fans must be familiar with her. When she was playing volleyball in the past, she was so domineering. She had excellent jumping ability, dared to take key shots, and played very tough, which made opponents afraid.
Many people say that she looks like Lang Ping, so she deserves the title of "the second Lang Ping". Yang Hao is a member of the "golden generation" of the Chinese women's volleyball team.
In 2001, she became a main player as soon as she joined the national team. That year, she won the second place in the World Women's Volleyball Grand Prix Finals with the team.
Under the guidance of coach Chen Zhonghe, Yang Hao's potential has been fully unleashed.
She won the 2002 Busan Asian Games, the 2003 World Women's Volleyball Grand Prix, the Asian Championships and the World Cup, and has too many medals to count.
There was also the 2004 Athens Olympics. The final between the Chinese women's volleyball team and the Russian team was really intense.
Yang Hao fought hard with his teammates and finally won the game and won the gold medal.
This was the first time in 20 years that the Chinese women's volleyball team had stood on the Olympic champion podium.
During the Beijing Olympic cycle, Yang Hao was also in very good shape.
She won the 2006 Doha Asian Games championship, the 2007 Swiss Women's Volleyball Elite League championship (i.e. Montreux Volley Masters), and the third place in the 2008 Beijing Olympics with the team.
However, an athlete's career always comes to an end. Yang Hao is getting older and has been injured, so her condition is gradually declining. In 2010, she chose to retire.
After retiring, she did not sit idle. She went to college and later obtained a postgraduate degree.
The transformation from an athlete to a top student is quite a big one, which shows that she has been working hard.
In March 2010, she married her boyfriend of many years, Liu Shuguo. Many people think that it is normal for athletes to get married and have children after retiring. But Yang Hao didn't.
She is a great Olympic champion on the court, a professional instructor on the coaching staff, but when she returns home, she is just an ordinary person who loves small animals.
Isn’t this contrast interesting? She lives her life and spreads happiness in her own way. (Zhangge, Fujian, 2025.07.15)
___________________________
Coach Yang Hao has led the team to great progress. She also enjoys raising dogs and lives a free and easy life.
-
The above QQ link is now airing the warm-up match between Poland vs. China on 19 July in preparation for the VNL 2025 - Finals Round
-
荷兰青年 Holland Youth🇳🇱VS越南青年Vietnam Youth🇻🇳｜2025上海明日之星排球半决赛｜Shanghai Women's Volleyball Future Stars 2025 Championship - Semi-Finals
Uploaded by 排坛飞哥 Flying Volleyball @排坛飞哥FlyingVolleyba-j9w
-
中国China U21🇨🇳 VS 上海Shanghai U21｜2025上海明日之星排球赛半决赛｜Shanghai Women's Volleyball Future Stars 2025 Championship - Semi-Finals
Uploaded by 排坛飞哥 Flying Volleyball @排坛飞哥FlyingVolleyba-j9w -- Watch at YouTube
Shanghai Women's Volleyball Future Stars 2025 Championship is held at the Luwan Sports Center from July 13 to 19, 2025.
Group A: China U21, Vietnam National Team, France U21, Brazil U21
Group B: Shanghai U21, Slovenia U21, Netherlands U21, Canada U21
In addition to awarding medals and championship trophies to the champion team, and medals to the runner-up and third place, the event also sets up additional individual awards for the event, including the best OH, the best MB, the best OP, the best setter, the best libero, and MVP.
The list of players of the Chinese U21 women's volleyball team:
S: 6-Wu Jia-hui, 10-Zhu Hang-ting
OP: 3-Shan Lan-feng, 4-Li Rong-yu, 9-Feng Shuo-lan
OH: 1-Zhao Zhe-xi, 2-Ji Yu-xiao, 5-Li Chen-xuan, 7-Teng Man-yi
MB: 8-Hu Jin-xi, 13-Li Han-yu, 15-Huang Yi-wei, 16-Liu Ling, 18-Shan Lin-qian
L: 11-Gu Yi-wen, 12-Sun Wan-yun
Head Coach: Xie Ji-yang
中国U21女排球员名单：
二传：6-吴佳慧、10-朱航霆
接应：3-单兰沣、4-李荣钰、9-冯烁澜
主攻：1-赵喆熙、2-季雨潇、5-李晨瑄、7-滕蔓绮
副攻：8-胡金玺、13-李涵宇、15-黄怡维、16-刘玲、18-单琳倩
自由人：11-顾译文、12-孙婉鋆
主教练：谢激扬
-
2025 Universiade -- Women's Volleyball: China vs. Germany - Group Stage • Sportdeutschland.TV
https://sportdeutschland.tv/rh…ll-w-china-vs-deutschland
Surprise, surprise -- Match result: CHN v GER 0-3 (27 - 29, 16 - 25, 19 - 25) -- another failed squad and failed head coach, Wang Zhiteng. In the set-1 the CHN team once led with a wide margin as if the set was a done deal, but I recall after GER made a TO they gradually overturned the table. One obvious thing I noted the CHN setter was not good, kept on setting to position 4 at the critical point regardless the unsuccessful attempts. After the set-1 I ended my watch went to sleep, already very late hour in Asia, not worth a wake at this quality & camera.
-
The absence of Zhu, Yuan, and Zhang from the World Championship marks the completion of the renewal and replacement of the women's volleyball team, and the era of Lang Ping has come to a complete end.
"Zhu Ting, Yuan Xin-yue, and Zhang Chang-ning were collectively left off the roster for the World Championship, marking the Chinese women's volleyball team's definitive farewell to the Lang Ping era!
Head coach Zhao Yong boldly promoted new players, with only four veterans from the Lang Ping era remaining in the 24-player roster, demonstrating a determination for renewal and replacement. Will this brand-new team be able to regain its glory at the 2025 World Championship?"
On July 16th, the official FIVB website announced the 24-player roster for the Chinese team to compete in the 2025 World Championship. Regarding this roster, fans were not so much concerned about who made the cut, but more about who was left out. The most heated discussion centered around the fact that the "three pillars" of the Lang Ping era, who had once led the Chinese team to glory and were affectionately dubbed the "Zhu Yuan Zhang" by fans, namely Zhu Ting, Yuan Xin-yue, and Zhang Chang-ning, were not included in the roster. This outcome signifies that the Chinese team has undergone a generational shift, marking the definitive end of the Lang Ping era in the national team.
The list of 24 Chinese players selected for the World Championship includes the Outside Hitters Wu Meng-jie, Zhuang Yu-shan, Tang Xin, Li Ying-ying, Dong Yu-han, Huang Yue-xin, and Zhong Hui; Middle Blockers Wang Yuan-yuan, Wan Zi-yue, Shan Lin-qian, Chen Hou-yu, Wang Ao-qian, and Gao Yi; Opposite Hitters Gong Xiang-yu, Yang Shu-ming, Fan Bo-ning, Zhou Ye-tong; Setters Zou Jia-qi, Yin Xiao-lan, Zhang Zi-xuan, and Xu Xiao-ting; Liberos Ni Fei-fan, Wang Meng-jie, Zheng Xin-yi.
Leaving aside Zhang Chang-ning, who has been inactive on the field for a long time, the absence of Zhu Ting and Yuan Xin-yue, who are still active on the court, still surprised many fans.
Looking back, since Lang Ping took the helm of the national team for the second time in April 2013, the Chinese team has entered the Lang Ping era since the start of the Rio cycle.
After taking office, Lang Ping focused on cultivating new talents. In 2013, he selected Zhu Ting, discovered Yuan Xin-yue in 2014, introduced Zhang Chang-ning in 2015, and discovered Gong Xiang-yu in 2016. The Chinese team now has "Zhu Yuan Zhang" and has entered its heyday, winning the 2015 World Cup, 2016 Rio Olympics, and the 2019 World Cup.
Entering the Tokyo cycle, Lang Ping continues to coach the national team, and she is the original team leader. In terms of new talent development, only Li Ying-ying, a player selected for the national team in the Tokyo cycle, can truly shoulder the heavy responsibility, but she has not yet reached the starting position. Wang Yuan-yuan and Wang Meng-jie are absolute substitutes. Due to various reasons, the Chinese women's volleyball team ultimately lost in Tokyo and failed to advance to the group stage, only finishing ninth.
In the Paris cycle, Cai Bin took over as the head coach of the national team from Lang Ping, but basically used the line-up from Lang Ping's era. The national team was still in the post Lang Ping era, and many national players were still players from Lang Ping's era. The only real newcomers are Wu Meng-jie and Zhuang Yu-shan, and the Chinese team has not been truly updated.
In the 2024 Paris Olympics, the Chinese team failed to make it to the quarterfinals, and Cai Bin resigned.
Now in the Los Angeles cycle, Zhao Yong has taken over from Cai Bin and made bold efforts to select new talents, exceeding expectations.
In the ongoing VNL, Zhu Yuan Zhang were not selected, and Li Ying-ying was sidelined throughout the game due to her recovery from injury. Among the newly announced 24 players for the World Championship, only Li Ying-ying, Wang Yuan-yuan, Gong Xiang-yu, and Wang Meng-jie joined the national team during Lang Ping's coaching period. And Ni Fei-fan, Wu Meng-jie, Zhuang Yu-shan, Gao Yi, and Zhong Hui were selected for the national team during Cai Bin's coaching period.
The innovation in competitive sports is an inevitable law, which applies to any team and every event, and the Chinese women's volleyball team is no exception. The 2025 World Championship will be the first major competition of the Chinese team in the Los Angeles cycle.
For such an extremely important tournament, head coach Zhao Yong bravely and decisively gave up Zhu Ting and Yuan Xinyue, who are in their playing years, which shows his courage and determination to do renewal. Considering that at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, Zhu Ting will be 34 years old and Yuan Xin-yue will be 32 years old, and what will be their state at that time is a question mark, Zhao Yong's move is completely understandable.
Anyway, with Zhu Ting, Yuan Xin-yue, and Zhang Chang-ning failing to be listed into the national team for the World Championship, the Chinese women's volleyball team is destined to enter a new era. What do netizens think about this?
(Lao Gao Talks about Sports, Henan, 2025-07-17)
_____________________________________________________
The Chinese women's volleyball team has been renewed, and the era of Zhu Yuan Zhang has come to an end. Thanks a lot to their dedication, the new team members continue to work hard resiliently. The spirit of the Chinese women's volleyball team: patriotism, perseverance, teamwork, and an unwavering will to never give up. Patriotism is central to the spirit, while perseverance serves as its foundation.
Having read this article, I think it's now clear to let go the expectation to see Zhu and Yuan playing for the NT in the LA Olympics. The new era will not rely on those past heroes. New, younger fighters will take up the shoes of the seniors.
-
Display More
There's a saying " When life gives you lemons, you can make lemonade "
So we're without Zhu and Yuan, LYY may not be fully fit and even Gong's situation isn't clear. We do still have players who can make an impact at the WCH, seeing how they performed at the VNL.
However, are we doing the best with what we have? I don't think so. I think the rot sets in when favoritism and politics interfere with team selection. Yin Xiao-lan (and Liang Guiqian) are the worst setters in the CVL and mostly responsible for Fujian's dismal showing season after season even with players like Zhuang Yushan and Zheng Yixin... yet Yin was picked for VNL and even WCH.
Also, It's a pity that for some inexplicable reason the selectors have sidelined the entire Shandong team, depriving the NT of some of the best players at the Chinese league (CVL)...middle blocker Wang Wenhan, setter Xie Shengyu and OH/OP Li Chenxuan (Shandong youth).
In an ideal situation, I will expect the CVA to employ a panel of reputable experts incl. the appointed head coach for the NT player selection, which players to be included into the NT (the wide list, the core list), based solely on capability and competency, fitness and suitability, regardless the player's club and/or province. Any such allocation must be avoided.
The panel of five or seven experts should select the best players throughout the country for the best interest of the national team. It should not be based on one person's decision (not the sole or prerogative decision of head coach who to be called in). Each player selection must be based on merits, rational judgements (not based on like and dislike), explainable, why this player is selected, and that one not.
A better approach may be calling in those prospective players in some big selection camp where all are given some training session (few weeks perhaps, whatever suitable duration)... then selections are made.
I think this elaborate selection process will pick the best players available, minimize the influence of personal favoritism. The national interests must be served nationally. The NT must embrace the best players available throughout the country. Under the more ideal conditions... just thinking. Btw I am talking in general term, not pointing to the coaching team of any specific cycle. I just want the CVA to implement a more proven approach in the NT player selection, to squeeze out the best for the NT.
-
Bits from VNL 2025
Head coach Zhao Yong smiled after the very difficult game against the US team, saying: "It's not easy to be proud of the players and coaches of the whole team. Looking forward to the next stage of the finals, Zhao Yong said, "As a young Chinese women's volleyball team, we will cherish every opportunity to play, the opponent in the finals will be stronger, and we will do our best to fight."
-----------------------------
2025 UNIVERSIADE
Rhine-Ruhr 2025 FISU World University Games - Women's Volleyball - ARG vs CHN (0-3: 6-25, 12-25, 11-25, Replay, 17 July)
https://sportdeutschland.tv/rh…ll-w-argentinien-vs-china
Note: Fixed camera from the backside; No onscreen score info thus viewer can hardly track the ongoing scores (you need to write down the scores from the beginning
), while that one on scoreboard is anything but visible (Inferior coverage, substandard services).Both the former NT players Hui Ruo-qi and Chen Zhan are the Assistant Coach with this team.
Daily Match Schedule - Volleyball (both Men's and Women's)
https://rhineruhr2025.com/en/s…eam-sports-schedule/VVO/*
NEXT: (W) CHN vs GER -- Saturday 19 July at 02:00 A.M. Beijing (CST)
-
Display MoreIt's a team with a lot of potential, but it needs support from some experienced players at two positions: setter and MB.
Linyu Diao or Di Yao as Zhang's backup.
And at the most demanding position, they need the return of the experienced MBs, especially with Wang's poor performance.
Besides, I don't understand why Yang had the best season of her life (best blocker in the chinese championship) and didn't even appear on the list.
I think Yang Han-yu is not good enough for Zhao Yong. He will prefer the sharper Wang Ao-qian, or Chen Hou-yu over Yang. Wang Yuanyuan is good nowadays, but the team needs at least one more prime MB to deploy interchangeably.
Keep in mind China still has another prime MB, Yuan Xin-yue, wait for the major events, WCH or if still not, then the OG itself. Still wondering about Zhu's participation too in the major events (esp. OG).
VNL has the very nature of the highest level of the annual training ground tournament.
Well, I am also wondering who will really be the other prime setter in addition to Zhang Zi-xuan? Can Yin Xiao-lan take up the position? At this point of time, I may be less inclined to have the old guards fill up the position, prefer to have a new bright setter besides Zhang.
Your thoughts here…
EDIT: I missed to name Li Yingying, of course I wanna see her full power return to the team for the major events!
-
I might sound harsh here, but in starting no.11 Li Yiyi in every single match it seems like the coach is either trying to lose, intentionally or he's really dumb. Take set one against Turkey (happening now) for instance, he's waited until 21-24 to replace Li Yiyi with no 6 Cao
I think this coach, Yuan Zhi, is not good enough, slow in making apt decisions etc, in comparison with Zhao Yong, Kuang Qi in leading the junior teams. But I can be wrong, perhaps the available line-up was not good enough due to many good players of this age bracket go to the senior team. Time will tell about his coaching quality. I just didn't get the good impression watching him vs. Zhao Yong or Kuang Qi in leading the junior teams... the touch with players on court and so forth.
-
Display More
the roster of China U21 in Shanghai Volleyball Future Star 2025:
S - Zhu Hang-ting (10), Wu Jia-hui (6)
OP - Shan Lan-feng (3)
OH - Zhao Zhe-xi (1), Ji Yu-xiao (2), Li Chen-xuan (5), Teng Man-qi (7)
MB - Hu Jin-xi (8), Li Han-yu (13), Huang Yi-wei (15), Liu Ling (16), Shan Lin-qian (18)
L - Sun Wan-jun (12), Gu Yi-wen (11)
Ji Yu-xiao and Liu Ling could be as OPs.
The changes of personnel from the team having the warm-up matches against Italy and the line-up in Shanghai event are Li Rong-yu OUT and Shan Lin-qian IN, and Ji Yu-xiao from OP to OH -- the rest stay the same.
So most likely this roster who will participate in U21 WCH in Indonesia held in Surabaya city.
-
It's tough to watch the match in the early hours in Asia at the Airlington station. Good to know when open my computer to learn the new & young team beat DOM, though with much difficulty, with the razor thin margin in five sets, with the last set went to 15-13, narrow escape, basically the two equal teams. It will take some time for the less experienced team to grow, by each international match, each tournament will forge its cohesion and help the team grow mature. Will watch the replay later via VBTV. However, this is a significantly more convincing and promising team than the one under the dumb Cai with his outdated WYL.